Harry Potter and the Four Elemental Spirits
by MidnightFenrir
Summary: In the confrontation between Harry and Quirrellmort, the Stone was destroyed. As Harry lays bleeding and at the mercy of his enemy, his magic calls upon the power of the shattered Stone to answer his plea for help and summons four Spirits to protect Harry. What trials awaits the young Lord of Spirits? No one knows for certain, as the wheel of fate continues to spin endlessly.
1. A Twist of Fate

**So... This has popped into my mind after I watched the eight HP films in a row in a matter of two days. Let's see how it goes, shall we?**

 **I shall write this story by taking in account what happens and is said in both the books AND the films. So while the development will most likely follow canon for now, things will change slowly but surely.**

 **A warning, this story contains:**

 **-Harry/Four girls (who have already been selected)**

 **-Good but misguided Dumbledore**

 **-Some Weasley bashing, but not too much.**

 **-Slowly becoming Indifferent Snape.**

 **-And a certain number of other things that you shall see as the story progresses.**

 **I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, Harry wouldn't have been so dumb in the 6th book. I do not own the 'Tales of' franchise either.**

"Talking"

 _Thinking_

" _Telepathy"_

" **Spells"**

" _ **Spirit Talking"**_

* * *

 _Spirits, are entities that the wizarding world had, until recently, next to no knowledge about. They have always been the stuff of legends or fairy tales. Until a few years, the biggest piece of information we had about them was that King Arthur's sword and its sheath were blessed by the Fae. However, there were never any sighting of the Fae. After all, how could one meet beings that have been hiding for centuries, if not millenias? No one, not even I, know how or why Spirits chose to disappear, but it's a fact that, one way or another, most records of what we knew about those beings were lost. I have no doubts that, had I not met a Spirit when I did, they would still be confined as, at best, a very obscure mystery or, at worst, something belonging to the Dark Arts._

 _But that isn't the case anymore, for in this age, Spirits and Wizards now coexist in a peaceful harmony._

 _My name is Hadrian James Maxwell – Potter – Black - Peverell, Lord of Spirits, Heir to the Hogwarts' founders and Master of the Deathly Hallows._

 _But you can call me Harry._

* * *

"Together we could do extraordinary things. Just... give me the stone."

Harry's mind was racing.

He was caught between a rock and a hard place. Behind him, flames, in front of him, Quirrell and Voldemort. He knew that even should he manage to avoid the worst of the flames that the man -men?- in front of him would be upon him in seconds. As for facing Quirrell/Voldemort -Quirellmort?- head on, that was suicide. Harry knew he was no match for a an adult wizard, the few hexes that he knew would be next to useless and he had no doubt that his opponent would annihilate him in seconds.

His hand tightened around the stone in his pocket.

He had no choice. If he gave the stone to Quirrellmort, the Dark Lord would come back to life, and Merlin knew what would happen if he did. No. His only option would be to fight, however slim were his chances of victory.

 _Or maybe..._

Harry slowly took the stone from his pocket, bringing it in front of him.

"Thats it, Harry..." Voldemort hissed in content from the back of Quirrell's head. "There is no good or evil. There is only power. And those too weak to seek it."

Harry looked back and forth between the stone and Quirrel a few times. "You're right." he replied. "Maybe there is no good or evil." He could feel Voldemort smiling at that, but he wasn't finished yet. "Maybe there is, indeed, only power and what you make of it. It doesn't matter if a spell is considered Dark or evil. What matters, is your intent behind it. And if there's one thing I know for sure, it's that your intentions, are less than good!" he shouted before raising the hand that was holding the stone above him, ready to throw it to the ground "I would rather destroy the stone than let you have it!"

Voldemort hissed in anger. "Kill him!" he ordered.

Faster than Harry could see, Quirrell's wand appeared in his hand and he pointed it at him. " **Avada Kedavra**!"

Harry knew he should move out of the way, jump aside, anything to avoid the spell that was racing toward him. But he couldn't. His limbs and muscles were locked as he gazed at the familiar green light.

The light that killed his mother.

And so the Killing Curse hit him.

Or did it, really?

What neither Harry or Quirrell had foreseen, was that Harry's arms, the right one which hand was still holding the stone, moved in front of him to shield himself. It was a conditioned reflex from the years of abuse he had endured at the Dursley's, something he was beyond his control.

The Killing Curse hit the stone, fragmenting it into four fragments in Harry's hand. Those fragments pierced his hand, embedding themselves into his flesh as Harry fell down in a cry of pain.

"YOU FOOL!" Harry heard Voldemort shout. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

"F-forgive me, m-master!" Quirrell said in a pained and panicked voice. "B-but surely we can s-still use it!"

"I hope for you that you can." the Dark Lord hissed.

Harry moaned in pain. It was hurting so much. But Quirrelmort was approaching, and he couldn't let him get the stone.

 _But what can I do?_ He wondered. He was feeling so weak, as if all his strength had left his body. But he had to do something. Anything.

For the first time in the seven years that he was abused by his relatives, Harry called for help.

And his magic answered.

In his hand, the shards of the stone pulsed. The Philosopher's Stone is an artifact that is said to bypass the law of equivalent exchange in alchemy, allowing it to change any metal into gold, create a body from nothing, allowing one to live forever, ect...

But then, why is it also called the Sorcerer's Stone? The answer to this question, is that the stone is capable of other miracles than alchemical ones. It has the power to grant a wizard or a witch's wishes as long as his or her magic is enough to fuel the stone the energy it needs to realize that wish.

As Harry wished for help, his magic answered his plight by giving the shards of the stone the power they needed to grant that wish. Even broken, the stone still retained its powers, which meant all of its fragments would grant Harry's wish. They would summon help for the boy.

As the fragments adsorbed both Harry's magic and blood, they pulsed, and began to glow. First softly, then it started to become more pronounced, growing stronger and stronger until the light coming from Harry's hand was almost blinding and each pulse of power made the room tremble. No one saw Harry's scar bursting open and let out a thick foul and black liquid onto the stairs before it faded and left only a white line in the shape of a lightning bolt.

"Kill him!" Voldemort shouted, having realized what was happening. "Kill him NOW!"

Quirrell once more raised his wand, ready to end the boy's life once and for all, but he was too late.

The stone shards disintegrated in Harry's hand and four spheres of light shot from it to ram into Quirrellmort, sending the possessed man away with a cry of pain. Then, the spheres went back to Harry, hovering slowly over his now unconscious form as they pulsed softly. They were each of a different color. One red, one blue, one green and one brown.

Quirrellmort however, was not done as he rose to his feet. "What is this magic?!" he shouted as he advanced once more to end Harry's life.

" _ **You shall not harm him."**_ came a powerful voice that made the man stop in his tracks.

"Who are you?!" he demanded as he gazed warily at the four lights.

The spheres pulsed once more before they slowly began to change form.

The blue one became a woman resembling a mermaid. But where merpeople had green skin and scales, this one had a white skin and no scales at all. The rest of her body was in various shades of blue, from her hair to her tail. In her hand was a spear.

The red one formed into some sort of crimson giant, with intricate designs all over its body and some flame like appendages on its arms and back. It looked powerful, if nothing else.

The green one shifted into a fairy-like form with long straight hair that divided into two wing-like tails, as if for aerodynamic purposes. It wearing what looked like aviator goggles and jacket, along with a mini jean and what seemed to be feathered boots.

The brown one transformed into an animal that looked like a puppy, only it had very large hand-like hair that looked like it was made of clay. The being was also sprawled on a large stone sphere that was bigger than it was.

Together, the four beings stood between the unconscious boy and the one seeking his death.

"Spirits." Voldemort hissed. "The boy summoned Spirits to him. But how?!"

For all the knowledge he had accumulated before his demise, the Dark Lord had never been able to find any real information on how to contact Spirits, much less summon them. But if there was one thing he knew about them, it was that Spirits who could take a corporeal form were very powerful.

" _ **Begone, abomination. Should you raise your hand against our Lord once more, we shall show no mercy."**_ The red one spoke in the same powerful voice as before.

For a moment, silence followed that declaration. Then, Quirrell pointed his wand at the Spirits. "Out of my way, creatures! **Avada-** "

"Wait! Don't-" Voldemort tried to stop his servant but he was too late.

Just as Quirrell was about to fire the Killing Curse, the crimson giant opened its mouth to spit a fireball at him, forcing the man to jump back in order to avoid the attack. Then, the three other spirits took action. From the blue one came a stream of water that blasted Quirrell's wand away, from the brown one came three stone spikes that pinned him to the wall. Finally, from the green one, a crescent blade of green energy decapitated him before he could try anything.

As the four spirits took their place beside their summoners once more, Quirrellmort's body started to fall apart, smoking and burning until there was nothing but ashes and robes of what used to be a man.

Then, from the ashes, a shade rose, glaring hatefully at the ones that had killed his servant. _**"You will regret this, Spirits. Mark my words."**_ it said before flying away. The four simply watched the shade flee the castle before they turned to the unconscious boy who had summoned them.

" _ **Is this boy truly our summoner?"**_ the green fairy asked. **_"I have trouble believing he managed such a feat on his own."_**

" _ **Perhaps he had assistance."**_ the blue mermaid replied. **_"But there is no mistake, we are bonded to him."_**

" _ **Such a burden for one so young."**_ the brown puppy added sadly. **_"But when have the Fates ever been fair to the world?"_**

" _ **We do not have time to dwell on such things."**_ the crimson giant said. **_"Our Lord needs rest. We can talk about this once he's awake. There is a lot to be done."_**

The four spirits nodded before they reverted to spheres of light and converged into Harry's body. It was fortunate -or perhaps unfortunate- for him that he would stay unconscious for the next three days.

After all, he had no idea how much he life was about to change.

* * *

When Harry slowly opened his eyes, the first thing he did was assess his surroundings.

White room? Check. Strange smell? Check. Unnatural quiet? Check. White linen sheets? Check.

This was definitely the Hospital Wing.

"Ah. Finally awake, I see?" came a voice and Harry turned to find Albus Dumbledore just entering the hospital wing as he made his way toward his bed.

"Headmaster." Harry greeted as he sat up on his bed. Only at this point did he see what looked like a mountain of get-well gifts at the feet of his bed and his eyes widened. Was all of this really for him?

"Tokens of your friends and admirers." Dumbledore answered his silent question. "What

happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows. I believe your friends Misters Fred and George Weasley were responsible for trying to send you a toilet seat. No doubt they thought it would amuse you. Madam Pomfrey, however, felt it might not be very hygienic, and confiscated it."

Harry could only blink in confusion. Admirers? Aside from maybe Neville and the Quiditch Team, he didn't see who could have brought him this. Deciding to keep that in mind for later, he changed the subject. "Sir, what happened exactly? And how long have I been here?" he asked before his eyes widened in panic. "Sir! The stone! He has the stone! Quirrell has the stone! We-"

Dumbledore immediately raised a hand to silence him. "Calm yourself, Harry. The threat is gone. Both Quirrell and the stone are no more." he said and Harry let out a sigh of relief as he let himself fall back on his bed. "You've been here for three days now. As for what happened, I was hoping you could tell me." The Headmaster continued.

Harry frowned slightly. "What do you mean, sir? Aren't you the one who saved me?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "I'm afraid not, dear boy. When I arrived, I found you unconscious and the room looked like a war had taken place inside it. Quirrell was dead and there was no sign of the stone whatsoever. Can you tell me what happened before you fainted?"

Harry's frown deepened as he focused. "I had the stone, that much I remember." he replied. "Then, Voldemort... he was possessing Quirrel, sir. He tried to make me give him the stone. I refused. And Quirrell... he used a curse on me." there, Harry swallowed. "Avada something. I remember moving my arms in front of me. After that..." he shook his head. "nothing."

Dumbledore hummed in thought as his fingers stroke his beard. "I believe I know what happened." he said, before continuing at Harry's questioning look. "The curse probably hit the stone and provoked a magical explosion, knocking you out and destroying Quirrell's already weak body. That would explain why your hand was in such a bad state when I found you." he pointed at Harry's bandaged right hand.

Harry nodded before he realized something. "Sir, but if the stone was destroyed, that means- Nicolas Flamel-"

Dumbledore nodded sadly. "We've had a little chat, and decided it was for the best. Of course, he and his wife will die, but they still have enough Elixir to last another few years and set their affairs in order."

Harry looked at his hands in guilt. It was his fault the stone was destroyed, he felt. Then, Dumbledore laid a hand on his and he looked up to see the Headmaster smiling. "Do not mourn them, Harry. They have lived for a very, very long time and I'm sure that they are content of the life they had. To Nicolas and Perenelle, it will only seem as if they were going to bed only to never wake up."

Harry nodded slowly, at loss for words before he remembered something. "Sir, what about Hermione and Ron? Are they both okay?"

Dumbledore smiled as he nodded. "Mr Weasley and Miss Granger were cleared two days ago and they have been quite worried you." then, his eyes widened as if he just remembered something. "By the way..." he put a hand in his robes and took from them a completely broken pair of spectacles. "I'm afraid your glasses were also destroyed by the stone's explosion."

Harry's hand flew to his face, only to make him realize that he, indeed, didn't have his glasses on his nose. "But I see just fine! Better, even! How-"

"Maybe the stone's explosion didn't have only bad consequences, after all?" Dumbledore interrupted him with a smile. "According to Madam Pomfrey, there shouldn't be any side effects."

"Wicked." was only thing that came to Harry's mind.

"And it seems that it also treated your scar." The headmaster continued, pointing at Harry's head. "It has pretty much faded now. I expect it will remain here for the rest of your life, but it's not nearly as visible as it was before."

Gently, Harry traced the scar on his forehead and was quite surprised to find smooth flesh as opposed to the angry red wound-like scar that had been there all his life. A quick look at a mirror conjured by Dumbledore showed that the famous scar was, indeed, all but gone. Harry could only look at his forehead, mouth slightly opened as tears of joy went down his cheeks. It was as if a huge load had been drooped off his shoulders.

Blinking, Harry raised a hand to wipe his eyes. _When was the last time I cried?_ He couldn't remember. He hadn't even shed tears when he had seen his parents inside the Mirror of Erised but now, it was like it wouldn't stop, no matter how much he tried to wipe away the tears. And so he cried. He cried for his parents, he cried for the years of abuse he had suffered at the hands of the Dursleys. He cried for all the times he had repressed his tears.

A couple of minutes and a few tissues later, Harry fell back into his bed, exhausted.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Dumbledore asked softly.

Harry nodded silently and silence ensued for a moment. Then, "Sir?"

"Yes?"

"Now that the stone is gone, do you think Voldemort's gone for good?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore looked at him for a moment before sighing. "No, Harry, I don't think so." he replied. " I believe he is still out there somewhere, perhaps looking for another body to share... not being truly alive, he cannot truly be killed either. He left Quirrell to die; he shows just as little mercy to his followers as his enemies. Nevertheless, Harry, while you may only have delayed his return to power, he may also never return to power."

Harry nodded, then asked."Sir, there are some other things I'd like to know, if you can tell me... things I want to know the truth about..."

"The truth." Dumbledore sighed again. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution. However, I shall answer your questions unless I have a very good reason not to, in which case I beg you'll forgive me. I shall not, of course, lie."

Harry took a deep breath. "Well... Voldemort said that he only killed my mother because she tried to stop him from killing me. But why would he want to kill me in the first place?"

Dumbledore sighed very deeply this time. "Alas, the first thing you ask me, I cannot tell you. Not today. Not now. You will know, one day... put it from your mind for now, Harry. When you are older... I know you hate to hear this... when you are ready, you will know."

Harry was too tired to argue right now, so he simply nodded. "And sir, one more thing."

"Just one, really?" Dumbledore said with a smile.

Harry rolled his eyes tiredly. "How did I get the stone out of the mirror?"

Dumbledore's smile widened. "Ah, now, I'm glad you asked me that. It was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between you and me, that's saying something. You see, only one who wanted to find the Stone - find it, but not use it - would be able to get it, otherwise they'd just see themselves making gold or drinking Elixir of Life. My brain surprises even me sometimes..." he explained before clapping his hands and stood up. "Now, enough questions. I suggest you make a start on these sweets." he said as he took a box from the pile. "Ah! Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit flavored one, and since then I'm afraid I've rather lost my liking for them - but I think I'll be safe with a nice toffee, don't you?" He smiled and popped the golden-brown bean into his mouth.

Then he choked "Alas! Ear wax!"

Harry chuckled as he closed his eyes and fell asleep once more.

* * *

When Harry opened his eyes again, it was to find himself looking at a clear blue sky with a few white clouds drifting. It was quiet and peaceful, something rarely found in his life.

 _Where am I?_ He wondered.

" _ **Oh look, he's awake."**_ an unfamiliar voice said close to him.

Harry's eyes went up to find four... beings looking down at him. At loss for words and not knowing what to do, he simply looked back.

" _ **Are you sure? He doesn't look very much awake to me."**_ one of them, huge and red, spoke in a deep voice.

" _ **Hum... maybe he's simply surprised? You can never tell with humans."**_ a short green one responded, putting a hand on its -his?- chin.

" _ **What do you think we should do?"**_ a small, almost animal-like, brown and white one asked, tilting its head at Harry.

" _ **Be nice, everyone."**_ the last one, a blue woman chided and he recognized her as the one who had first spoken. _**"Hello there, little one. May we know your name?"**_ she asked him in a soft voice.

Harry blinked twice before answering. "My name is Harry Potter." he answered, looking at each being in turn. "Who are you guys?"

The four beings took turns in answering his question.

" _ **I am Efreet, Emperor of the Flames, Great Spirit of Fire."**_ the crimson giant answered.

" _ **I am Sylph, Mistress of Gales, Great Spirit of Wind."**_ the green fairy followed.

" _ **I am Gnome, Ruler of the Land, Great Spirit of Earth."**_ the brown animal said next.

" _ **And I am Undine, Empress of the Seas, Great Spirit of Water."**_ the blue and white lady finished.

" _ **We have come in response to your summons. We ask of you, are you our Lord?"**_ they said in unison.

Harry blinked once. Twice. Then rapidly before saying the only thing that came to his mind.

"What the hell is going on?"

* * *

 **So... here it is. I'm done for the first chapter and even though I have a pretty much clear outline of what I'm gonna do, there are still a lot of variables to take care of.**

 **I'll say it now, I don't plan to make Harry a powerhouse immediately. That will be for the end.**

 **To those wondering how the Four look like, just look for the Great Spirits of Tales of Xillia.**

 **Did you enjoy it? Or maybe is it too bland? Do leave a review to give me your impressions.**


	2. Mending the Scars of the Past

**And here comes the second chapter. Let's see if I can keep it up at such a rhythm.**

"Talking"

 _Thinking_

" _Telepathy"_

" **Spells"**

" _ **Spirit talking"**_

* * *

"What the hell is going on?"

The four Spirits gazed at Harry in confusion before they shared a look and turned back to him.

" _ **Do you not remember summoning us?"**_ Undine asked and sighed as Harry shook his head. **_"This complicate things."_**

" _ **If he did not consciously summoned us, then there must be other factors that we don't know about."**_ Efreet said before he turned to Harry. **_"Tell me, child, what exactly do you remember of your fight against the abomination?"_**

Harry tilted his head in confusion. "Abomination? What are you talking about? And where am I?"

" _ **The man that tried to kill you."**_ Gnome elaborated. **_"As for where we are, well, that's your mindscape, of course."_**

Harry blinked. "So... you mean we're in my head?"

" _ **Yup."**_ Sylph confirmed. **_"Now if you could answer the question, that'd be great."_**

And so, for the second time, Harry retold his confrontation against Quirrell, complementing his story with what Dumbledore had told him might have happened to the Stone. Once he was done, the four Spirits looked at each other.

" _ **It is most likely this stone that called upon us."**_ Efreet said. **_"However, that still doesn't explain WHY it did summon us."_**

" _ **Perhaps it was just a matter of circumstances."**_ Undine replied. **_"Tell us, Harry, did you wish for something before you fainted?"_**

Harry scrunched his face in concentration. "I remember feeling in pain and... weak. And I think I... wanted help. It's quite fuzzy."

Undine nodded. _**"Then I think the stone granted your wish."**_

Once again, Harry looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

" _ **Spirit Artes and Magic are all about intent, Harry. I suppose your magic grasped upon your call for help and used the stone as a medium to provide it. And in doing so, it called us to you and bonded us to your magic."**_ The Water Spirit explained.

Harry looked flabbergasted. Was such a thing even possible? He knew the stone was capable of miracles, but it just seemed surreal. And it was magic he was talking about for Merlin's sake! Then, something Undine had said caught his attention. "Wait. You said that you are 'bonded' to me?" at her nod, he continued. "W-what does that mean, exactly?"

It was Gnome who answered. _**"It means that you have become our Lord, our master."**_

Harry looked horrified at that. "Is there anything I can do to set you free? I don't want you guys to suffer because of something I did without thinking." To him, it sounded like slavery.

The four spirits looked blankly at him for a second before they all dissolved into laughter and Harry couldn't help but redden in embarrassment.

"W-was it something I said? Thi-this is a serious matter, you know." he stammered.

" _ **Forgive us for laughing, Harry."**_ Gnome apologized. **_"It's just that we didn't expect such a reaction from you."_**

" _ **Don't worry, kid."**_ Sylph added. ** _"You couldn't make us do something we wouldn't want to do even if you tried."_** she said and Harry let out a relieved sigh.

" _ **Still, it is very noble of you to worry about our freedom."**_ Efreet praised. **_"I believe that, if anything, you will be a Lord worth serving."_** Harry's face became a deeper shade of red at that.

" _ **You must understand something, Harry."**_ Undine said. **_"You are our summoner. As such, we are, first and foremost, here to help, protect and serve you. You honor us by your kindness and we commend you for it."_** Harry's face was a tomato red at this point. _**"As for freeing us from the bond, it is not something that can be easily done, and certainly not by yourself. When the time is right, when you will no longer need us, the bond will disappear naturally. Until then, we will remain by your side."**_

Harry's eyes widened. "You mean you'll... stay with me? Always?" he felt his eyes tear up at the nods they gave him. "Thank you." he said, his voice thick with emotion. "It's just... I've never had that. Someone who would always be there for me." he added at their questioning looks.

Undine frowned in sadness as she bent to Harry's level and embraced him gently. He stiffened at first, obviously not used to being hugged, before he slowly returned the embrace.

The tree other Spirits watched the scene unfold, a single thought running through their mind.

This child needed them. And in more ways than one.

* * *

When Harry woke up back in the Hospital Wing, he was greeted by the concerned face of Madam Pomfrey as she watched over him.

"Are you alright, Mr Potter? You've been crying in your sleep." she added as she saw his questioning look.

Harry smiled at the nurse. "Yes, thank you madam." he replied as he dabbed his eyes and sat up. "Can you tell me what time is it?"

"Oh, it's still early, classes haven't started yet." she answered. "You will be able to check out as soon as I'm done running a few diagnosis spells on you. In the meantime, why don't you sort all those gifts?" she gestured to the pile beside his bed.

 _Is that just me or is it bigger than yesterday?_ He wondered as he picked the first box of candy. He had just finished reading the short card from Seasmus that a sharp intake of breath from the nurse drew his attention back to her.

She looked absolutely livid, with her wand still pointing at Harry and her eyes gleaming with righteous fury that made him want to hide himself under the bed in fear.

"Um... Madam Pomfrey?" Harry said, his voice slightly quivering.

"Who did this, Mr Potter?" she hissed in anger. "Who did that to you?"

Harry blinked. "Who did... what?" he replied uncertainly.

"I've just detected multiple problems with your body, Mr Potter. Badly healed broken bones, malnourishment and what seems to be the lingering traces of a concussion are just the beginning. So, I ask again. Who. Did. This?"

Harry blanched at what she said. He knew what she was talking about. How could he not, when he remembered everything the Dursleys had done to him over the years? Every time his cousin and his friends had hit him during their games of 'Harry Hunting', when his Aunt slapped him for everything she blamed on him or how his Uncle would beat him when something weird happened around him or he had a bad at work. He remembered all of it. But could he tell her? He had never said anything because he feared it might just make things worse.

" _ **Have no fear, Harry. She just wants to help you."**_

Harry almost jumped as he heard Undine's voice in his head and looked around for any sign of the Spirit. _"Undine?"_

" ** _Do not worry, child. Even if you cannot see us, we are still here."_** she replied. **_"Now answer her question. She won't hurt you."_**

Harry nodded slowly and turned back to face the nurse, who was looking at him with yet another concerned expression.

"It was my relatives." he muttered.

At those words, Pomfrey jumped from the stool she was sitting on, her form bristling with fury once more. "Wait here, Mr Potter. I need to inform the Headmaster of this and contact St Mungo, perhaps even the DMLE." she said before storming out of the Hospital Wing.

After she left, Harry was tempted, oh so tempted, to flee to his dorm but he knew it would only delay the inevitable. So, he decided to take his mind off it by continuing to sort his gifts. A majority of them came from Gryffindors, just as he expected, but he was surprised to have received a few from Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. There even were a couple from Slytherins!

Though he had no idea who Daphnee Greengrass and Blaise Zabini were, but he supposed they couldn't be too bad if they had sent him gifts.

A few minutes later, Pomfrey returned with a whole contingent of people, which included Dumbledore and McGonagall, having what looked like an animated discussion.

"...an outrage! Albus, do you realize what will happen if this becomes public knowledge?! People will be braying for blood!" a stern woman wearing what looked like a monocle exclaimed.

"And I assure you, Amelia, that if I had known I would have taken steps to prevent such a thing from ever happening." Dumbledore replied calmly as they neared Harry's bed.

The group deployed themselves around him and Harry couldn't help but look nervously at the dozen people that gazed at him with various expressions on their faces.

"Headmaster, what's going on?" Harry asked.

"Harry, my boy. I must say that the news our dear nurse brought to me are most alarming. So, I decided to send for a couple healers from St Mungo along for someone from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Dumbledore answered as he gestured to the people beside him. "This is Amelia Bones, head of the DMLE, and with her are Aurors Scrimgeour and Shacklebolt."

"It's good to meet you, Mr Potter. Although I wish it was in different circumstances." the stern woman said as she shook Harry's hand in greeting. Behind her, the two men, one equally stern with jet black hair and one brown skinned, nodded. Harry kept silent and nodded too.

"And this are healers Lurand and Mathis from St Mungo." Albus gestured to the raven-haired man and brown-haired woman standing beside Pomfrey. They both wore a white medical outfit.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr Potter." they greeted him and Harry nodded once more, not knowing what to say.

"Mr Potter... Harry." the school nurse called him. "Would you mind taking off your shirt?"

Harry immediately stiffened, drawing frowns from everyone. "Must I?" he asked weakly, even though deep inside, he knew it was useless.

Pomfrey nodded. "I hate to ask you this, Harry, but it is very important that we do this." she pleaded in a soft tone.

Harry took a deep breath. "Ok." he said with a nod. "Ok." he repeated as he gripped the end of his shirt and slowly took it off. There was several sharp breaths and a few gasps but Harry kept his eyes on the bed sheets, not daring to meet their eyes.

"This... I cannot even- how?" McGonagall stammered, her voice breaking before sorrow left place to anger and she rounded on Dumbledore. "I told you they were the worst kind of Muggles, Albus! I told you, but you didn't listen!"

"Is this the kind of treatment they give heroes in the Muggle world?" Scrimgeour asked darkly.

"How long has this been going on?" Healer Mathis said as he gritted his teeth and clenched his fist.

"Several years, at least." Pomfrey answered with a tight voice. "Some of the bone fractures I detected were almost five years old."

"Good Merlin..." Healer Lurand said she clasped her hands over her mouth. "It's a miracle he's still walking as it is. And you're saying he plays Quidditch?"

"How, Albus? Just how did you let this happen?" Madam Bones hissed at the headmaster.

For a few seconds, Dumbledore stayed silent as he looked upon the scarred boy in front of him. They say great men make mistakes just as big as themselves and Albus had become all too aware of that the night Voldemort had killed Harry's parents. And yet, it seemed that he had failed them again.

Slowly, the usually jovial, but now serious headmaster made his way closer to Harry before wrapping him in a hug.

"Harry... my dear, dear boy. Forgive an old man and his mistakes." he cried.

This time, Harry froze. He was not used to being embraced by someone, even while wearing clothes. Without them, the feeling of hands on his skin only reminded him of the beatings Vernon had inflicted upon him and he started to tremble from head to toe.

"Oh Merlin, he's having a panic attack!" Pomfrey exclaimed. "Albus, get away from him! I need a Calming Draught, now!"

Dumbledore quickly let go of Harry but it was no use, the boy continued to tremble, his breathing starting to become ragged and his eyes seeing into the distance.

" _ **Calm down, Harry. You're alright. No one's gonna hurt you."**_ he heard Undine's soothing voice in his mind. **_"You're safe, child. There is no need to be scared."_**

Then, warmth filled him. Warmth like he had never felt before. It was coursing through his body, into his muscles and his veins. Slowly, but surely, Harry started to relax. His breathing evened, his trembling ceased and his eyes regained their focus, although there were tears in them.

" _Thanks."_ Harry simply thought as he took several deep breaths and felt the Four's presence envelop him, like a comfortable blanket.

"Harry?"

Harry jerked, startled by the voice of McGonagall. He had forgotten there was still a bunch of people here. Slowly, he raised his head to meet his transfiguration teacher's worried eyes.

"I'm fine, professor." he replied quietly. "Just... I'm not used to this."

She nodded softly. "I can see that. We'll give you a few minutes to calm yourself, if that's alright with you?"

Harry nodded wordlessly as she left his bedside and he put his shirt back on before letting himself lie on his bed with a deep sigh. He was feeling exhausted already, and the day hadn't even truly started yet.

At his side, invisible to all, the Four watched silently as their summoner shed tears once more But how could he not, when his worst secret, one he had buried deep withing him had been brought out for all the world to see?

Then, suddenly, a ball of fire materialized above the bed, surprising them all, and a majestic red bird appeared with a soft thrill before it perched on the headboard just above Harry and began to sing an equally haunting and uplifting melody.

" _ **Is that a phoenix?"**_ Sylph asked as she looked at the fire bird in awe.

" _ **I can feel the power inside it. There is no mistake."**_ Efreet confirmed.

Harry simply craned his head to look at the mystical creature. Its song seemed to resonate with his very soul, as if it knew the hardships the boy had endured all his life and praised his strength for rising above it.

For a couple of minutes, he simply listened as the phoenix continued its -his, her?- song. When it ended, the majestic bird jumped onto his bed and nuzzled against his cheek for a moment before disappearing in a flash of fire. And for the first time in a while, Harry felt peaceful.

It a was a few seconds later that Dumbledore and the other people came back inside the hospital wing.

"Are you feeling better, my boy?" the headmaster asked gently.

Harry nodded with a smile. "Yes, thank you sir."

The aged man sighed. "I do not deserve your thanks, Harry. When I placed you with your Aunt, I did so in good faith, thinking she would welcome you as one of her own. Instead, it seems that she and her family treated you in one of the most cruel ways possible. Minerva had warned me, but I had no reason to think that Petunia would act like this toward her sister's son."

Harry blinked as the information was processed through his brain. "You're the one that left me with them?!" he asked in astonishment.

Dumbledore nodded. "And I'm sorry, so sorry that I did. If there had been the slightest of signs, anything that would have alerted me to what you were enduring, I would have taken action immediately."

Harry didn't know what to think. On one hand, Dumbledore seemed truly sincere, but on the other, he was still the one that left him with his relatives. Even though he respected, even admired, the headmaster, what he'd just been told had put quite a crack in the image he had of the man.

" _ **Do not judge him, Harry."**_ Undine said. **_"At the end of the day, Dumbledore remains human. And humans make mistakes."_** she told him wisely.

" _ **No one is perfect, Harry. Do not fault the man who thought he had left you in a safe and loving care. He did so with only your best intentions in mind, even if he was proved wrong."**_ Efreet added.

Harry swallowed and took another deep breath. "It's not your fault, sir. You couldn't have known."

Dumbledore shook his head in sorrow. "But I should have, my boy, I should have. I had Arabella Figg check on you. She told me that you were a quiet, well-mannered boy and I had no reason not to believe her."

Harry's eyes widened. "Mrs Figg is a witch?!"

"A squib, actually." the headmaster corrected. "She was, I thought, the ideal choice to watch over you. Not being able to use magic, she would have blended easily in your society without drawing any attention toward you. But it appears I was mistaken."

Again, that left Harry at a loss for words.

"But that is in the past now." Dumbledore continued. "Rest assured, Harry, that you will not ever see the Dursleys again if I can help it."

"And you'll have the support of the DMLE in this, Albus. This is clearly a case of child endangerment, moreover of a child from an Ancient and Noble House." Madam Bones added. " If I had my say, I would take custody of Mr Potter this instant. He's my Susan's age, for Merlin's sake."

Harry could only gape at the woman. Though he did note what she said about his family and filed it away for later.

"Certainly, but this is neither the time, nor the place." Pomfey said sternly. "I want everyone out, except for Healers Lurand and Mathis. Now shoo!" A few urgings later, the only people in the hospital wing were the three healers and Harry himself.

And so began a long session of prodding and poking, followed by an even longer period constituting of many healing spells and potions. Even with three people working on him, it still took a few hours before Harry was cleared by them. Although he was given a couple of potion regiments and told to eat lots of certain foods for the next months.

"And be careful, Mr Potter. Although your eyesight problems have been cured, we're still not sure what else the stone might have done." Pomfrey said as he exited the hospital wing.

" _ **Actually, that was us."**_ Sylph chirped and it took all of Harry's self control not to jump.

" _You guys did that for me?"_ he asked.

" _ **We did."**_ Gnome said. ** _"We were also going to heal your body progressively, but it seems they took care of that for us. There's still a few things we'd like to do, but we can talk about that later. You've got company."_**

That was all the warning Harry had before a brown bushy haired missile slammed into him with a cry of his name and he was enveloped into a bone-crushing hug.

* * *

Harry spent the next the hour or so retelling Hermione and Ron what had happened in the dungeons after they got separated and what had taken place inside the hospital wing. He left out, however, the secret of his abuse at the Dursleys and the fact that he now had four Spirits with him at times on Undine's request. Apparently, they were people willing to go to great lengths in order find something, anything really, about spirits and if they ever heard of the fact that he, a mere boy of eleven, had four of them, they'd vivisect him. And Harry wasn't willing to take such a risk.

His friends told him what had happened on their side and what he had missed in past few days. It seemed the whole school was talking about what happened and that made Harry groan in annoyance. He had enough fame as it was.

After that, he spent a bit of time touring the castle with Four, who were quite curious about the place they had been summoned in and the various secrets it held.

He also visited Hagrid, who cried his eyes out about how it was his fault that Quirrell got past Fluffy and how Harry could have died. Harry was quick to argue that the half-giant wasn't responsible for what had happened because it was Voldemort's fault and no one else's. Before he left, Hagrid gave him what turned out to be an album full of wizard photographs of his parents, which made him embrace the man with all the strength he had before going back to the castle for the end of the year feast.

What happened there was almost baffling. Dumbledore ended up giving Gryffindor a hundred and seventy points for the events behind the destruction of the stone, putting the house of the Lions in first place before Slytherin and winning them the house cup. Not that Harry was complaining, but he was pretty sure that shouldn't have happened. If anything, Dumbledore should have taken points because they went in alone without the assistance of a professor.

Still, the memory of Malfoy's face when he realized that Slytherin ended up in second place behind Gryffindor was something he'd treasure for a long, long time.

But it seemed that the day wasn't over yet, as just as the feast ended, he was interpellated by McGonagall. "Mr Potter, would you please follow me to the Headmaster's office? They are still a few things we need to discuss."

Harry nodded and bid good night to both his friends before following his Head of House. A couple of minutes and a few stairs later, they were standing in front of huge gargoyle.

"Ice Mice."

The gargoyle nodded and stepped aside to reveal a staircase which they climbed to arrive in front of the headmaster's office before McGonagall knocked.

"Ah, Minerva, Harry. We've been expecting you." Dumbledore said from the inside. "Come in, come in."

They both entered, and Harry stared in awe at the interior of the office. It was a large and beautiful circular room, full of funny little noises. A number of curious silver instruments stood on spindle-legged tables, whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke. The walls were covered with portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses, all of whom were snoozing gently in their frames. There was also an enormous, claw-footed desk, and, sitting on a shelf behind it, a shabby, tainted wizard's hat - the Sorting Hat, he recognized. Sitting on a large chair behind the desk was Dumbledore, and on either side of him stood Madam Bones and Madam Pomfrey.

"Sit down, Harry. We have much to discuss." the headmaster said as he conjured a chair.

Harry nodded and sat as McGonagall took her place slightly behind him.

"Now, as I said earlier, you will not be going back to your relatives' home during the summer." Dumbledore said. "But tell me, Harry, did you ever consider that place home?"

Harry shook his head. "No, sir. If anything, Hogwarts is my home."

Dumbledore gave a sad smile at his answer. "I see. Now, let me explain a few things, Harry." he took a breath. "In the days after I left you at the doorstep of your Aunt's house, I built wards around it, so that you could be protected. Blood wards, to be specific, that relied on your mother's sacrifice. As the followers of Voldemort" cue shivers from everyone but the headmaster and Harry himself "were still free and might come for you, I felt it better to give you the best defense I could make. As long as you were cared and loved for by your Aunt, whom you are linked to by blood, the wards would protect you from any danger from the outside. After what happened today, I went to check the wards myself, and I was not surprised to find that they had all but disappeared. As such, Privet Drive is no longer safe for you." he concluded.

Through this, Harry simply nodded. It made him feel... happy, to know that, even in death, his mother still protected him.

"Now, there are various options opened for you for this summer." Dumbledore continued. "You can rent a room at either the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley or at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade and spend your holidays there.

Another option would be for you to become an emancipated minor and take residence in the ancestral Potter home, whose location would be disclosed to you by your right as Heir to the Potter family. However," he raised a finger to interrupt Harry, who had opened his mouth to speak. "it would also mean that you would be dragged into wizarding politics. As you are still young and learning about the magical world, I do not encourage it. Perhaps at a later time, when you are a few years older, we will see that you are emancipated.

The third option would be for you to, of course, stay at Hogwarts. Though it is unusual for this to happen, I am within my rights as headmaster to make an exception and allow a student to stay here. But I fear that you would quickly become bored, as only a few of the teachers stay in the castle during the summer and the library would be closed.

Thus, we, as in Madam Bones and I, have decided to create a fourth option for you. If it is alright with you, Harry, you would spend the summer with several wizard families two weeks at a time. The families in question would be the Bones, the Weasleys, the Greengrasses and finally the Tonks. All Heads of those families have agreed to swear an oath to guarantee your safety should you accept."

Harry lowered his head in thought, trying to balance the four options inside his mind. He had indeed said he considered Hogwarts his home, but he was quite sure spending all his time walking around the castle or visiting Hagrid would quickly become boring. He didn't feel like spending two whole months at the Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, as he was quite sure he would be swarmed by people the moment they learned he was there. As for the third option, he didn't exactly know everything that this emancipation thing entailed. The fourth was much more appealing, as he would get to spend time with his friends and maybe make new ones.

" _What do you think, guys?"_ he asked in his mind.

" _ **I think you should go for it, kid. Should be interesting, if nothing else."**_ Sylph replied.

" _ **This is also your chance to learn more about your world and its customs. Quite the opportunity, if you ask me."**_ Undine said wisely.

" _ **Beside, they probably know some things about your parents and your family. That Bones lady looks important, so I'm sure she'll be able to give you all kinds of answers if you ask the good questions."**_ Efreet added.

" _ **Not to mention you'll be able to have fun and meet new people!"**_ Gnome chimed in, making Harry smile.

Raising his head, he looked at the people around him before nodding at the headmaster. "I think I'll take option number four, sir." he said.

Dumbledore clapped his hands with a wide smile, his eyes twinkling merrily. "Wonderful! It's decided, then." he exclaimed joyfully before turning to Madam Bones. "Amelia, I'll let you organize Harry's stay at your home with him. I must make a few floo calls on my part, but it should be quick and then we'll talk about your investigation." he said before turning back to Harry. "Now, off you go. You are leaving tomorrow and we don't want you sleeping in and missing the Express now, do we? Minerva, if would be so kind as to guide Mr Potter back to his common room?"

McGonagall nodded as Harry smiled back and, with a nod of his own, rose from his chair before both exited the office.

It seemed things were starting to look up for him.

* * *

 **And I'm done for the second chapter! Yeah, quite a huge change from canon, I know, but I figured that if this had to happen now instead of later. I mean, how could Pomfrey ignore the abuse Harry was clearly victim of after she first examined him? It makes little sense to me.**

 **So Harry will find his summer to be quite eventful, all in all. But you'll see about that next chapter! ...and here's me hoping I'll be able to make it as quickly as I did the first two.**

 **Anyway, do not hesitate to review and give me your impressions!**

 **This is MidnightFenrir, author of "Harry Potter and the Four Elemental Spirits", signing out.**


	3. The Start of an Unusual Summer

**Third Chapter incoming! I'm on a roll!**

 **My thanks to everyone who has favorited/followed this story and to those who reviewed. I hope that I shall live up to your expectations.  
**

"Talking"

 _Thinking_

" _Telepathy"_

" **Spell"**

" _ **Spirit Talking"**_

* * *

As Harry and McGonagall went out of the office, Dumbledore turned to Pomfrey. "If Amelia is done questioning you, then you are free to go, Poppy."

The nurse looked at Amelia, who nodded, before she bid the two goodnight and went out to make her way back to the hospital wing. Then, the headmaster rose from his chair.

"Make yourself comfortable, Amelia. It should only take me a few minutes to call the other families who will be welcoming Harry to their home in the next two months." he told her as he went to his chimney and threw in a handful of floo powder, making emerald flames rise before he stuck his head inside it. The head of the DMLE chose to lean against the desk as she waited for the headmaster to finish his business.

A dozen minutes later, Dumbledore finally drew back from the fire and once again sat behind his desk as she rounded on him.

"Now, Headmaster, care to explain why an extremely precious, not to mention dangerous artifact was placed in a school full of CHILDREN?" she asked lowly, glaring at the older man.

Dumbledore sighed. "Please take a seat, Amelia. This might take a while." he gestured at the empty chair and the Head of the Bones family briskly sat, arms crossed and still glaring. "I suppose you heard about this from your niece, Miss Susan?"

She huffed. "Honestly, Albus, one would have to be deaf in order not to hear about the... adventure... that Mr Potter and his friends went through to defend the stone. But that still doesn't answer the question as to WHY the stone was here in the first place."

The headmaster nodded. "To make a long story short, Nicolas entrusted the stone to me when he became worried that Voldemort- it's just a name, Amelia. Fear of the name only increases fear of the thing itself." he patronized gently at her wince. "As I was saying, Nicolas became worried Voldemort might want to steal the stone from him in order to come back to power. It was also at this time that rumors of his presence in Albania started to rise. Thus, my friend decided to entrust the stone to me for safekeeping as Hogwarts is, after all, the safest place in Europe save for Gringotts. And you saw what happened to the vault where the stone had been deposited."

Amelia blinked. "You mean that break-in in Gringotts ten months ago was V-Voldemort trying to steal the stone?"

Dumbledore nodded once more. "Indeed. At that time, the stone was already at Hogwarts and under several layers of protections."

She snorted. "Protections that three first years managed to overcome. And let's not talk about the warning you gave the students at the start of the year. 'Out of bounds for everyone who does not wish a very painful death'? Albus, that's not how you warn children that a place is dangerous for them! If anything, it only made them more curious! Susan told me that she had overheard the Weasley Twins saying they had known how to get through all the protections until the chessboard by Christmas! How could you imagine, even for an instant, that such weak defenses would be able to stop a Dark Lord? Unless..." she narrowed her eyes. "unless this was nothing but a test intended for Potter?"

Dumbledore didn't reply.

Amelia's nostrils flared. "Your silence is enough of an answer. This also explains how you didn't take any action about your DADA professor, who had become a case of an S Rank possession. As headmaster of the school, the wards should have warned you about this the moment Quirrell stepped inside the grounds. Yet, you did nothing."

At that, however, Dumbledore raised a hand. "There is a very good explanation about how I didn't know Quirrell was being possessed." he said as he opened one of the drawers of his desk and took out a purple cloth that he laid on the desk. "If you would be so kind as to examine this turban."

The head of the DMLE looked between the man and the object in front of her for a few seconds before she drew her wand and muttered a few scanning spells under her breaths. The results made her eyes widen. "This is probably the most enchanted piece of cloth that I have ever seen. There are even runes weaved inside the fabric itself. Everything that is be covered by this would be invisible to even the strongest detecting wards." she said in awe.

Dumbledore nodded. "No you see how I was unaware that Voldemort was possessing Quirrell. I knew someone would attempt to steal the stone while it was present at Hogwarts and I suspected that Quirrell might be the one, but never for a moment did I think it would be Voldemort himself."

Amelia took a deep breath as she pinched the bridge of her nose. She was already feeling the beginning of a headache. "Alright, but that still doesn't explain several things. The first of which being why McGonagall did not take Mr Potter and his friends seriously when they came to warn her about someone going to steal the stone."

The headmaster sighed. "You must remember, Amelia, that, as you said, they are still first years. Minerva thought their concern was exaggerated, as I had assured her that the stone was safe. But you are right. As their Head of House, the least she could have done would have been to check if what they were telling was true or not."

Amelia leaned back in her chair with a sigh of her own. "This is so messed up, Albus. I know that the ministry has no right to interfere in Hogwarts business, but it's an entirely different matter when the safety of the children is at stake." again, she glared at the older man. "Which reminds me: how was I not informed of that troll incident during the Halloween feast?"

Dumbledore shrugged. "Since no one was hurt and the matter was quickly dealt with, I would guess that the students saw no obligation to report it to the DMLE. I received a few letters from concerned parents, but I was quick to appease them. I must say I'm surprised your niece didn't send you a letter."

Amelia felt her anger rise once more. "'No one was hurt"?! So you're telling me the fact that three first years almost died facing a full grown mountain troll and only managed to knock it out through sheer dumb luck is nothing?!" She saw Dumbledore grimace at that. Obviously he hadn't expected her to know the details. She sighed in irritation. "Albus, your tendency to keep important information close to your vest is going to hurt someone one of these days, if it hasn't already."

She didn't see Dumbledore wince as if he had been struck by a physical blow and his eyes become full of pain and sorrow. "I respect you, Albus, so I'm willing to turn a blind eye on what happened, seeing as no one suffered any severe or lasting injuries. However, I warn you that I WILL take action if something as serious as this happens again." she said stiffly before rising. "I will be taking the testimonies of Mr Potter, Miss Granger and Mr Weasley sometime in the future. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm sure we both have other things that will require our attention tonight." she added before spinning on her heals toward the door.

"Amelia." Dumbledore said and she paused, her hand on the doorknob. "I will only say that I did what I had to do for the Greater Good. Our enemy is still out there. Perhaps not exactly alive, but not dead either."

Slowly, she turned to look at him in the eyes. "...Do you think he will return?" she asked lowly.

He nodded. "Perhaps not anytime soon, but, yes, I believe he will." he answered. "I could be wrong, and I hope I am, but we must prepare ourselves, just in case."

Amelia stayed silent for a moment, still looking at the older man still seated behind his desk before she nodded, opened the door and left the office.

Merlin, she needed a pain-relieving potion. She had a feeling that headache wouldn't disappear anytime soon otherwise.

* * *

Harry opened his eyes to find himself looking at a familiar clear blue sky. With a grunt, he sat up, taking in the seemingly infinite space around him. Under him, the grass was dancing at the tune of a small breeze.

" _ **Welcome back, Harry."**_

He turned to find Undine standing beside him, her hand stretched open toward him and a soft smile on her face, with Efreet, Sylph and Gnome at her sides. Returning the smile, Harry took her hand.

"Thanks." he said as he stood up. "It might be strange for me to say this but... I've missed you guys."

The Water Spirit's smile grew. _**"You cannot yet see us outside of your mind, but you will, in time."**_

Harry tilted his head. "What do you mean?" he asked.

" _ **We told you that it is our duty to protect you, did we not?"**_ Efreet replied and, at his nod, continued. **_"But we haven't yet told you how we intend to do it."_**

Harry frowned. "Can't you just... I don't know, appear or something when I'm in danger?"

" _ **Of course we can, kid!"**_ Sylph answered. ** _"But it would be really tiring for us, not to say for you, if we were to manifest in our corporeal form. I think you might be able to summon one of us for a dozen seconds, at best, before all your mana's gone and you faint from exhaustion."_**

"'Mana'?" Harry blinked.

" _ **Your magical energy, Harry."**_ Undine clarified. **_"As Sylph said, we can appear if necessary but it would put too much of a strain on your magical core right now. It is something we will do only if you are in great danger. A last resort, if you will."_**

" _ **But there are other ways for us to ensure you are safe."**_ Gnome added. **_"We can teach you the ability to use our own brand of magic, to use Spirit Artes."_**

" _ **In other words, Harry, we will train you so that you can defend yourself, with and without a wand."**_ Efreet concluded.

Harry's eyes widened greatly. "Is that even possible? I mean, to use magic without a wand? Never mind using spirit magic?"

Undine nodded. _**"Magic is a part of yourself, Harry. A wand is simply a medium used to channel magic into spells with movements and incantations. By learning how to control you magic, you will become more proficient at casting without your wand. But keep in mind that it will always be easier for you to cast with a wand than without one."**_ she paused, letting Harry assimilate the information before she pressed on. ** _"As for using Spirit Artes, it is the art of casting spells by channeling the power of spirits through your magic. However, you will find out that it is very different from the spells wizards and witches use."_**

Harry nodded thoughtfully. "Can you show me?"

Sylph grinned. _**"'Thought you'd never ask!"**_ she said gleefully as she sprung one of her arms to her side. _**"**_ **Wind Lance** _ **!"**_ from her hand, a crescent green blade of energy formed before it shot out at high speeds into the distance.

Harry simply stared at the Wind Spirit, jaw dropped. "Wicked." he breathed out, making her laugh.

" _ **It might not be as simple as Sylph just demonstrated but... well, you get the gist."**_ Gnome said.

" _ **There are various kinds of Spirit Artes, Harry."**_ Undine continued her explanation. _**"They all belong to a particular element and have various effects. As you are bonded to us, you will find it easier for you to cast Artes belongings to our respective elements. That does not mean, however, that you cannot learn other Artes that might prove useful to you. They will simply demand more magic and focus from you."**_

" _ **But there is one thing that you must understand above all."**_ Efreet said as he bent toward Harry. _**"This ability is not something to be trifled with. With great power, comes great responsibility. Remember that, Harry."**_

" _ **Just as we asked you to keep our existence a secret from everyone, even your friends, we expect you to hide your knowledge of Spirit Artes unless it's a matter of great importance."**_ Undine added.

Harry looked at his protectors before a determined expression settled on his face and he nodded. "I understand." he said, making them smile. "When do we start?"

The Four's smiles turned feral. _**"Right now."**_ they said in unison.

Harry gulped nervously. _What did I just get myself into?_

And so began Harry's training into the use of Spirit Artes and fighting in general. He quickly discovered that he was able to use magic inside his mind, but that it tired him just as much as it did in the real world. Undine explained to him that since they were in a phantasmagorical space, so to speak, the harmony between his mind and body allowed him to use his magic here in the same conditions as those of the physical world without it being real in itself. So while he wasn't drawing upon his magic, his mind still thought he was and that, in turn, made him feel tired the more he used it.

Most of the time they spent was used in teaching Harry the theoretical aspect of how to use Spirit Artes. Since he had never used one in the physical world, his mind and body didn't know how he should proceed and what the results would be. Aside from that, they worked on some of the combat oriented spells Harry knew but had trouble with, such as the Shield Charm or the Tripping Jinx, and on his fighting abilities.

Needless to say, he wasn't going to turn into a fighter overnight.

* * *

When morning came, Harry rose from his bed with a groan. The Four had spent almost an entire day working on him, which roughly equaled two hours in the waking world as they had explained to him that time was multiplied inside his mind. He didn't exactly felt tired, but it was still weird to wake up feeling refreshed after what the Four had put him through.

"Hey, Harry. You feeling alright?" Ron asked with a yawn from his own bed.

"It's nothing, Ron. Just had a bit of a rough night." Harry told the redhead as he picked up his towel and his clothes. Which was kind of true. "It's still early, go back to sleep."

"I get you, mate. Merlin knows I'd have nightmares too if I had faced You-Know-Who alone down there." and with that, he turned his face into his pillow and began snoring once more.

Harry didn't bother to correct his friend as he opened the window to let Hedwig out before going to the bathroom. Neville and Seamus were still sawing logs too, but he doubted that if Ron's snores couldn't wake them, whatever noise he might do would do it. He took quick shower before making his way down to the common room, which was unsurprisingly empty at this hour, and out of the Gryffindor dormitory.

It was a bit strange, he had to admit, to walk around the silent and desert hallways, but he still enjoyed the peaceful and quiet walk to the castle doors nonetheless. There were, he supposed, very few people who would get up nearly an hour and half from breakfast on the day they were leaving Hogwarts.

Once Harry was outside in the slightly chilling air, he started to do a series of warms up. For all the things he and the Four could do in his mind, physical workout wasn't one of them. Even though the spells and potions from yesterday had done wonders on his condition and Quidditch training had started to build some muscles, he was far from being on the same page than other children his own age. Thus, the Four had designed a training regiment for him.

And today was as good as any day to begin.

" _How long do I have to run again?"_

" _ **Until you cannot continue."**_ came the answer from Efreet.

Harry sighed. "Right..." he muttered before he started running around the grounds.

He was quite surprised that he managed to last a bit more than fifteen minutes at a good rhythm before he was forced to stop. After a few minutes of rest, he was just starting a series of push ups when, suddenly,

"Wotcher Harry."

"Gah!"

With a startled shout, Harry lost his balance and fell to the ground, prompting a laugh from the person behind him as he scrambled to get up and face his interlocutor.

" _Couldn't you guys have warned me someone was coming?!"_

" _ **Where's the fun in that?"**_ Sylph answered with a laugh.

The sight that greeted him was most... strange.

It was young woman, a sixth or seventh year no doubt, with a heart shaped face and what most males would describe as hourglass figure, who was smiling at him. She was also wearing what looked like purple sport clothes, but it wasn't any of this that drew his attention. No, what did was her very vivid pink and spiky hair.

" _ **Wow, that IS some hair style."**_ The Spirit of Wind said in appreciation.

Harry blinked a few times, before he finally found his voice. "Uh... hello?" he greeted uncertainly.

Her smile grew. "Wotcher Harry." she repeated. "It's the first I see someone else going for a morning run. Is that a new habit?"

"Um... yeah, sort of." Harry replied, looking at her in wonder. "And you are?"

She blinked before her eyes widened and her mouth made a o shape. "Oops, right. I forget everyone and their mother know about you but you probably don't know me." she said sheepishly as she extended a hand to him. "The name's Tonks, nice to meet ya."

Harry shook her hand and raised an eyebrow. "Just Tonks?"

She nodded, her smile becoming slightly fixed. "Just Tonks." she confirmed. Then, to his awe, her hair changed from pink to vibrant red in an instant. "Of course, that's assuming you want your bits to stay the way they're arranged." she added.

Harry, however, was still staring at the now red hair, mouth slightly opened.

"What?" She snapped at him.

"Your hair." he breathed in disbelief.

With a groan, she let go of his hand to pull out a handheld mirror that she used to check her reflection. "Bloody hell..." she muttered before her face scrunched up in concentration and her hair gradually reverted to their previous vivid pink.

"How did you do that?" Harry marveled.

She gave a short sigh. "I'm a Metamorphmagus." she answered. "It's a witch or a wizard who can change their appearance at will without a spell or a potion." she explained at his blank look.

" _ **Now THAT is what I call a cool ability."**_ Sylph whistled.

" _ **Pretty useful too, I'd bet."**_ Gnome added.

"Anyway, saw you running and figured I'd say hi." Tonks shrugged. "So why are you doing this, if I may ask?"

Harry bit his lip, not knowing what to say. "I don't know, why are you?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I'll have you know I aim to become an Auror, mister. And that ain't gonna happen if I just sit on my ass reading books all day."

He tilted his head in confusion. "'Auror'?"

Tonks looked at him strangely. "You really don't know anything about the magical world, do you?" he blushed in embarrassment. "I know you were raised by muggles, but it's still surprising how little you actually know." she shook her head. "Basically, Aurors are hit wizards under the jurisdiction of the DMLE. They're an elite unit responsible for investigating crimes relating to the Dark Arts or apprehending Dark wizards and witches." she explained to him.

Harry nodded. "That sounds pretty cool."

Tonks smirked. "It does, right? They say the training is extremely difficult and intensive though. Which is why I'm out here training, just as you are." she said before frowning at him. "But I don't think you want to become an Auror yet, so it begs to question why you ARE training?"

Harry cursed internally, racking his brain to come up with an answer. "Well... uh... you know what happened a few days ago, right?"

She nodded.

"Well, after that, I figured I needed to get stronger. Not just magically but also physically. I mean, a fight isn't just two people throwing some spells at each other, right?" he stammered slightly.

Tonks hummed in thought, her eyes looking sideways as she stroked her chin before nodding once again. "That makes sense." she said before grinning widely at him. "How about I help you?"

Harry gulped nervously, a feeling of dread settling into his stomach.

By the time he and Tonks made it back to the castle, Harry felt as if he was some kind of towel that went through the washer and then through the drainer. In other words: tired and hurting everywhere and then some. A quick Scourgify, courtesy of Tonks, washed away the sweat and the smell of exertion just before they made their way through the doors..

" _ **I love that girl!"**_ Sylph laughed. **_"Can we keep her?"_**

Harry didn't bother to answer that.

"Well, it's been fun, Harry." Tonks said as they entered the Great Hall and she started to move toward the Hufflepuff table. "There's still a lot of room for improvement, but I'm sure you'll get there in no time. See you in a month!"

"Yeah, sure. See you next-" Then, he blinked at what she had just said registered through his brain. "Wait, what?!" he exclaimed but Tonks was already seated at her table.

" _ **Now that you mention it, didn't your headmaster mention you'd be spending a couple weeks with a family called the Tonks?"**_ Gnome chimed.

Harry stopped as he reviewed yesterday's conversation in his mind. _"You know, I think you're right."_

"Harry!" Hermione's voice brought him out of his thoughts and he turned to see her and Ron walking just entering the Great Hall. "Where have you been?"

"Yeah, mate. We've been looking everywhere for you." the redhead added.

He scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that, guys. Just went out for some morning exercise."

Ron gave him a horrified look. "So early in the morning?! Are you mental?!"

"Ronald Weasley!" Hermione admonished him. "Just because you like to sleep as late as possible doesn't mean other people cannot do other things before breakfast and classes."

The redhead quickly raised his hands in defense. "Hey, chill! What's wrong with sleeping?"

Harry smiled at his friends' banter before he threw his arms around their shoulders. "C'mon, you two. Eat first, talk later." he said before dragging them to the Gryffindor table.

The three started eating their breakfast while making quiet conversation.

"So, mate, why did Dumbledore wanted to talk to you yesterday?" Ron asked.

"Ah, well, he just wanted to talk about what I was going to do this summer." at their questioning looks, he explained. "Since I can't go back to my relatives, he arranged for me to stay with several families he trusts and wanted to ask me if I was alright with that or preferred to rent a room in the Leaky Cauldron or the Three Broomsticks."

"And what did you choose?" Hermione asked.

Harry smiled. "I will only say that Ron will see me before school starts again."

Ron's jaw dropped. "Seriously, mate? That's great!" he exclaimed, half chewed food falling from his mouth as he spoke.

Hermione wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Please swallow before talking, Ron..." she told him, her face slightly green.

They continued to talk for several minutes. Then, the Heads of House started to move along their tables, distributing what looked like envelopes to the student.

"Miss Granger, Mr Potter, Mr Weasley. Your exam results." McGonagall told them before she moved on to the rest of the students.

Harry shared a look with his friends before they opened their envelopes simultaneously. Quite surprisingly, both he and Ron had passed with good marks, his being slightly better than the redhead's. As for Hermione she was, of course, at the top of the first years, with nearly perfect grades everywhere.

And suddenly, it was time to leave. The wardrobes were emptied, trunks were packed, Neville's toad was found lurking in a corner of the toilets, notes were handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic in front of Muggles and Hagrid was there to take them down to the train station.

It was there that Harry was interrelated by a first year girl with red hair.

"So, Harry, I understand that you will be living with Aunt Amelia and I for two weeks this summer?" she said as she approached him. "I'm Susan Bones, by the way. It's nice to finally meet you." she greeted as she extended a hand to him.

"Nice to meet you too, Susan." Harry responded with a smile as he shook it. "And yeah, that's what the headmaster arranged for. I'm sorry if it feels like I'm intruding, but I hope we can still become friends."

She smiled back at him. "I don't see why not." she replied before looking at Ron and Hermione. "Do you mind if I join you? It would save me the time of having to look for Harry when we arrive and we could get to know each other a bit."

Harry's smile became radiant at that. "Of course, Susan. Let's go."

A couple of minutes later, they were boarding the Hogwarts Express; talking and laughing as the countryside became greener and tidier, eating various snacks and sweets as they sped past Muggle towns, changing their wizard robes for jackets and coats before finally pulling into platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross Station.

It took quite a while for them all to get off the platform. A wizened old guard was up by the ticket barrier, letting them go through the gate in twos and threes so they didn't attract attention by all bursting out of a solid wall at once and alarming the Muggles. People jostled them as they moved forward toward the gateway back to the Muggle world. Some of them called:

"Bye, Harry!" "See you, Potter!"

"Still famous." said Ron, grinning at him.

"It's not like I can help it, you know." Harry replied with a small sigh.

He, Ron, Hermione and Susan passed through the gateway together.

"There he is, Mom! There he is! Look!" It was Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister, but she wasn't pointing at Ron. "Harry Potter!" she squealed, making him cringe slightly.

" _ **It seems like someone has a fan-girl."**_ Undine teased him slightly, making him groan under his breath.

"Look, Mom! I can see-"

"Be quiet, Ginny." Mrs Weasley shushed her. "And it's rude to point." she added before she turned and smiled down at them. "Busy year?" she said.

"Very" said Harry. Though it was a large understatement. "Thanks for the fudge and the sweater, Mrs Weasley."

"Oh, it was nothing, dear." she waved a hand in dismissal.

"Come on, Harry" Susan urged him. "My aunt is waiting for us." she said as she started to move further into the crowd.

"See you over the summer, then!" he said loudly to Ron and Hermione as he followed behind Susan.

"Write to us, will you?!" Ron shouted over the noise.

"Sure!" he shouted back before the flow of people forced him to move along and he lost them.

Catching up to Susan, he and her made their way through the crowd with their trolleys until they spotted the same monocle wearing woman Harry had seen yesterday waving at them.

"Auntie!" Susan said in delight as they made their way toward her and she jumped into her arms.

"Hello to you too, Susan." Madam Bones said fondly as she embraced her niece. "And you also, Mr Potter." she greeted him with a nod. "I trust you both had a pleasant journey?"

Harry nodded. "Yes ma'am. And, ma'am, it's Harry. Just Harry." he replied.

She smiled at him. "Then I insist that you call me Amelia, Harry. After all, you will be living with us, even if it's only for two weeks." she told him. "Now come, let us go home."

Harry and Susan followed behind her as she leaded them to a more secluded area of the station where they left the trolleys and she took out a pen that she extended toward them. Susan immediately took hold of it as Amelia turned to him.

"Please put your hand on it, Harry." she told him.

He was a bit perplexed by that, but did as she said nonetheless as she took out her wand before pointing it at the pen. " **Portus**." she said and it glowed a light blue.

Then, Harry felt a pull behind his navel and the world blurred for a moment before it stopped and he ended up falling on his back.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Susan asked as she helped him stand up.

He nodded before he shook his head to get rid of the dizziness.

" _ **That was most unpleasant."**_ Gnome said, sounding quite dizzy himself.

" _ **How can you say such a thing?! That was so much fun!"**_ Sylph argued.

" _I think I'm inclined to agree with Gnome on this one."_ Harry said mentally. "What was that?" he asked.

"My apologies for not warning you, Harry." Amelia said. "I forget the first time taking a Portkey can be quite uncomfortable."

"It's ok. Just surprised me, is all." he replied before taking a look at his surroundings. They were standing inside what looked like a quite spacious entry hall. He noted that it was somewhat richly decorated, but had a home feeling to it.

For the first time in a place beside Hogwarts, Harry felt safe.

"Welcome, Harry, to Bones Manor." Susan said grandiosely and he smiled.

He was certainly going to enjoy this summer.

" _ **Don't forget your training."**_ Efreet reminded.

...perhaps not as much as he had hoped, but he was still going to enjoy it.

* * *

 **So that's it for the third chapter of this story. I'm quite satisfied with being able to keep a good rhythm, for now anyway. The chapters are probably going to become longer and longer as I progress, so it will also take me more time to do them, but we'll see about that once we get there.**

 **Do leave a review if you have anything to say. I accept everything beside baseless flaming.**

 **This is MidnightFenrir, author of "Harry Potter and the Four Elemental Spirits", signing out.**


	4. Living with the Bones Part 1

**I've recently seen on tumblr a post where someone was explaining that when Snape asked Harry the question about the ingredients of the Draught of Living Death (asphodel and wormwood) in his first potion class, he was also saying "I bitterly regret Lily's death" according the the Victorian Flower Language. To which I will reply the same thing Harry said to Ron in the 4th book: "Who... who could possibly figure that out? That's completely mental."**

 **Things are getting quite heated up here in France. It leaves me wondering what kind of year 2016 is going to be with what happened a few days ago.**

 **Anyway, enjoy the 4th chapter.**

"Talking"

 **Spells**

 _Thinking_

" _Telepathy"_

" _ **Spirit Talking"**_

* * *

Harry's first day with the Bones was, in his opinion, quite eventful.

First, he got a crash course about house-elves after he freaked out seeing one disappear with his trunk. At first, it sounded like slavery but Amelia explained to him that, without being bonded to wizard or a witch, a house elf would only live for half a dozen years. The reason for that was the house elves depended on the bond's magic to survive and while some might choose a few years of freedom due to the way their owners treated them, most still preferred to serve a master and their family until they died of old age. When Harry had asked why they had to live like this, Amelia shrugged and said, "Magic made them that way, Harry. We don't really know how they came to be, but house-elves have been around for centuries, if not more."

He didn't have much to say after that. Besides, the little creatures were very devoted to their tasks and they certainly looked happy to do their chores.

After that, he was given a tour of the manor by a very enthusiastic Susan (which took them close to fifteen minutes) before they were called down for supper by Amelia. When Harry sat down, he was surprised to find a couple of potion vials beside his plate.

"Madam Pomfrey was kind enough to give me the doses you'll need to take for the next two weeks." Amelia told him. "You'll need to drink those each two days, starting today."

Harry nodded and opened the vial before downing the first potion in one go. Immediately, his face scrunched up in disgust. "Blegh! Why does it have to taste so bad?" he said.

Amelia chuckled. "Doesn't they say good medicine always tastes bad? What were you expecting, pumpkin juice?"

Harry shook his head as he opened the second vial. "No, but it's magic we're talking about." he replied as he downed the potion and made another disgusted face. "Can't they do anything about the taste with a spell or something?"

"It's been tried before, Harry, but it often decreases the potency of the potion, or even completely changes its effect." was the answer.

"Let's hope I will get accustomed to the taste soon if I have to take this for two months..." he muttered, drawing a laugh from Amelia and Susan.

It was the latter that spoke next. "But I don't understand. Why do you need potions, Harry? Were you hurt somewhere?" she asked with a concerned tone.

Harry stiffened in his chair as Amelia rounded on her niece. "Susan Miranda Bones! That is a very improper question and you will apologize immediately!"

Startled by her aunt's tone, Susan did just that. "I-I'm sorry, Harry. I-uh-I didn't know it was a delicate subject. Forgive me."

Harry took a deep breath and relaxed slightly. "It-It's ok, Susan. You couldn't have known." he said with a sigh before he looked at her in the eyes. "It's just that my relatives weren't the kindest of people. They had a... strong dislike for magic." he explained, not really willing to go into details.

Susan's eyes widened in horror and realization. "Did they...?"

He nodded stiffly as he looked down.

The Bones heiress shook her head in disbelief. "I-I..." she was at loss for words.

Amelia gently laid a hand on Harry's shoulder, making him look up at her. "Don't think about it anymore, Harry." she said softly. "You will not ever have to go back with them, this I assure you. I understand that it is a sore subject for you, and perhaps it will always be, but you should not dwell on it. Remember the past, and learn from it, but focus on the present and the future." she advised him.

" _ **Wise words coming from an equally wise person."**_ Undine praised the head of the DMLE. **_"You should listen to her, Harry. I feel that you could learn a lot from her."_**

Harry nodded and returned his attention to his plate, although not feeling quite hungry.

The rest of supper passed in quiet conversation between the three, with Amelia asking them various questions about Susan and Harry's year aside from the troll and philosopher stone incidents. Soon, however, she retired to her study, as she still had a lot of paperwork to go through, leaving both Susan and Harry to their own devices.

So, Harry decided to go to his room and unpack. Susan, told him that she was going to a couple of letters to her friends and that if he needed anything, he could either go to her or call one of the house-elves.

The rest of the afternoon, he spend it reading the study material inside his books. He figured it was a good time as any to do it and see if there was anything important he might have missed in the first year curriculum and take a look at what he would learn in the coming years. He immediately discarded History of Magic, though. Who in their right mind would want to read something Bins was reciting all day long?

Well, aside from Hermione, of course.

It made him a bit angry to find that the question Snape had asked him in his first potion class about the Draught of Living Death was something covered in fifth year, but he didn't dwell on it. However, he quickly found potions to be a very interesting subject. He supposed that it was just the greasy git's attitude and teaching method that made him hate it.

He went quickly through Astrology. Though he enjoyed watching the stars, finding the truth of the universe by studying their patterns and movements wasn't something that interested him much. He did the same for Herbology. Though he was quite... adept at taking care of plants thanks to his relatives, he didn't have the kind of talent Neville had for the subject.

Charms he found relatively easy. Harry wasn't someone to learn by theory, but by practice. Magic was, after all, all about intent and though people like Hermione could achieve results by doing everything in the book to the letter, he found it easier for him to learn by trial and error until he managed to cast the spell successfully. He was thankful he didn't have Seamus' tendency for blowing things up, else he was pretty sure he would have destroyed the room. The Four also guided him several times when he was struck by a particular spell and Harry welcomed their guidance. It was nice to have someone help him, for once.

Transfiguration was surprisingly easy. Again, it was more about intent and visualizing the transformation than wand movements or incantations, and Harry found that he had little problem in doing so.

Most of his time, however, he ended up spending on studying his Defense Against the Dark Arts book. The lessons with Quirrell had been anything but useful and after his confrontation with Voldemort, his conversation with Dumbledore and what the Four had told him, he had made it his priority to learn everything he could on how to defend himself. Learning Spirit Artes and how to fight was great, but it would do him little good if he didn't know what he was facing and how to fight it, or didn't know how to counter a specific curse. He took note of the battle oriented spells listed and of the other potentially useful ones, figuring that he would find a way to practice them. He found it quite surprising that such simple spells as Lumos and its Maxima counterpart could be used to blind your enemies if you overpowered them.

"Working hard, I see."

Harry jumped from his seating position on the bed, startled, and turned to find Amelia standing in the doorway, looking at him with an amused smile.

"Not even a single day out of school and you are already going through the books." she shook her head. "Perhaps you have more of your mother in you than just her eyes." she said as she sat down beside him.

"You knew my mom?" Harry asked with a gleam in his eyes.

Amelia nodded. "Yes. Although she was only in her first year and I was in my third when we met. She always had her nose in a book and she wasn't afraid to voice her opinions or questions. She asked me for help a couple of times, and we quickly became friends. She was one of the smartest witches I have ever met and more often than not I would see her with a book under a arm. She also had quite a fiery temperament and would always explode in righteous anger if someone pushed her, something your father excelled at." she laughed slightly. "Perhaps that is why she was sorted in Gryffindor and not Ravenclaw."

"What about my dad?" he asked.

"I stayed quite clear of James and his friends at school." she replied. "Your father quickly got a reputation of a prankster and a ladies' man, so I endeavored to avoid him as much as I could. Though that didn't prevent him to try his chance with me anyway, but I quickly shut him down. Beside, everyone could see that, by their third year, he was clearly head over heels with your mother. I worked with him after he enrolled in the Auror Corps, but other than that, I didn't know him as much as I knew Lily."

Harry smiled sadly. "I don't know much about them. Everyone tell me how much I look like my father but have my mother's eyes, or how good they were at school but other than that..." he shrugged. "I didn't even have any pictures of them before Hagrid gave me the photo album."

Amelia grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him to her, looking at him in the eyes. "You are more than just a cross between your mother and your father, Harry. You are your own person, never let anyone tell you otherwise. True you are almost a carbon copy of your father when he was your age, and you may have your mother's eyes, but that is only a few aspects of what makes you you. Your personality is very much different from your parents', even if yours share some traits with theirs. Who our parents are or how they live do not define who we are or how we live. Remember that, Harry."

Harry nodded, at loss for words, and she ruffled his hair with a smile. "They would be proud of you, I'm sure of it." she said as she stood up. "Now come downstairs. It's time for supper and I think you studied enough for today."

"I'll be right down." he said as she left the room.

For a moment, Harry just stayed on the bed, his gaze going to the photo album Hagrid had given him that was sitting on the nightstand.

 _Would they really be proud of me?_

A tear slowly rolled down his cheek, it was soon followed by a couple more, and then others until a slow flood of tears was falling from his eyes as he shook in silent sobs.

 _I miss them. I just miss them so much._

Once again, he felt the comforting presence of the Four envelop him.

" _ **It's alright, Harry. Let it out."**_ Undine softly told him.

"Promise me." he choked out. "Promise that you'll never leave me. That I won't be alone again."

" _ **On our honor as Great Spirits."**_ Efreet swore and Harry felt the other three agree through their bond.

It took Harry a few minutes to collect himself before he rose from the bed and made his way downstairs to join Amelia and Susan, who were already seated at the table. The woman sent him a concerned look, to which he smiled in response and nodded his head to indicate that he was alright.

Susan looked between her aunt and Harry with a slight frown but shrugged and returned to her meal.

Dinner passed in silence. Harry didn't feel like talking, Amelia, sensing his emotional state, chose to respect his silence and Susan felt the situation was too awkward to say anything.

It was only when they were all done that Amelia broke the silence. "Is there anything you'd like to do, Harry?" seeing his confused look, she elaborated. "You are not going to spend two weeks inside your room studying, are you? Surely there are other things that interest you?"

Harry blushed in embarrassment. He hadn't really thought about that. "W-well, I don't know..."

Susan blinked at him. "What do you mean, you don't know?" then she gasped. "Don't tell me you never did anything you enjoyed outside of Hogwarts!"

Harry didn't reply.

Amelia sighed heavily as she pinched the bridge of her nose. She wanted to scold her niece for what she had just said but she was busy trying not to get angry. Part of her mind was telling her she should have expected it, having been told Harry had been confined into a cupboard for the majority of his life, but it was still hard to imagine someone would do this to a child. It was nothing short of a miracle that Harry had turned out as he did. From Pomfrey's report, it seemed that his magic had constantly been working to help its master go through his daily life. From what she remembered, Harry had made a lot of fits of accidental magic since the day he was born. The fact that his magic had manifested on the outside only half a dozen times in the ten years he had spent with his relatives spoke for itself.

"Harry." she called, making the boy turn to her. "You don't have to answer immediately. Take your time to think about it and you can tell me your answer tomorrow." she told him.

Harry simply nodded before he bid her and Susan goodnight and went back to his room, the Bones heiress gaping at him until he disappeared.

"Just what kind of childhood did he have?" she said absently.

Amelia sighed. "I don't think he even had a childhood, Susan." she replied. "He's had a hard life from the time his parents died and it has left its mark on him." she shook her head. "All he wants is to be a normal boy with normal problems, but I'm afraid that's something that will never happen. That is the curse of being Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, Savior of the Wizarding World."

Susan looked at the empty chair, sorrow etched on her features. "And to think everyone believes he has it easy..." she muttered.

"There are very few people who look past his status of hero to see who Harry Potter truly is." her aunt said as she rose. "And even fewer who remember the day he vanquished You-Know-Who is also the day he lost everything."

She left Susan to ponder those words as she made her way back to her study.

* * *

Back in his room, Harry was sitting crossed legged on the ground, eyes closed as he tried to empty his mind of all thoughts. The Four had told him he needed to be calm if he was to learn how to cast Spirit Artes and meditation was a good step to get rid of his troubled state of mind and become in tune with his environment. He wasn't sure what answer he would give Amelia tomorrow, but he was confident things would turn out alright. Even though he had only met her two days ago, he trusted the Head of the DMLE. As Undine had said, she was a wise person and he had faith in the Water Spirit's judgment.

" _ **There are four steps you must follow in order to channel a Spirit Arte."**_ Undine stated. **_"Mana Emission, Incantation, Pact Completion and Activation."_**

" _ **First, you must imagine your magic flowing through your body."**_ Efreet instructed him. **_"You have to visualize your core opening as you would open a tap. The only difference is that your magic is replacing the water and your body is the recipient of it."_**

" _ **It is important that you learn how to control the flow of your magic and how to trigger its release."**_ Gnome added. **_"This will make it easier for you to use magic without a foci and to dose the amount of power you'll put into your spells."_**

Harry exhaled slowly as he tried to follow the instructions. Though it had become much easier for him to use magic since his body had been healed by Madam Pomfrey and Healers Lurand and Mathis, it didn't mean that his control on it was better. If anything else, it had worsened. Since the huge part of his magic that was focused on repairing his body didn't need to anymore, but Harry was still casting spells the same way, he often putted more power than necessary into it.

After a few moments, he succeeded in opening his core. It felt as if his body was coursing with energy, like his power was singing in his blood. It was a bit similar to the adrenaline rush he had experienced the first time he had played Quidditch, but still different. It was exhilarating.

" _ **Good."**_ Undine praised. _**"Now you must slowly let it out. Imagine it as an aura that is drawn outside, that you can project. Feel the flow leave your body only to surround it."**_

Again, Harry did as he was told. Focusing on visualizing his magic flowing out of his body. It took him quite some time, but he eventually managed to let a bit of his magic out.

" _ **Doing this draws the spirits to you. They will feed on the mana you projected and use its power to cast the Arte."**_ Efreet continued. ** _"Now say the incantation to complete the Pact."_**

Harry took a breath and opened his eyes as he brought his hands in front of him. " **Let there be light. Lux."** he said clearly.

Harry felt the magical energy disappear as a small ball of light formed between his hands. He couldn't help but look at it in awe as it floated and pulsed gently. It felt different from the Lumos spell, purer, in a way.

" _ **Congrats, kid."**_ Sylph said and he could feel her grinning. **_"You've just cast your first Spirit Arte."_** he couldn't help but grin too.

" _ **Although it took you close to three minutes to go through the four steps, you did well."**_ Efreet added. **_"As we progress, Spirit Channeling should become like a second nature to you and you will be able to cast much faster."_**

" _ **Still, it is quite impressive that you managed it after only two days."**_ Gnome chimed in. **_"I believe that you should be able to reduce the channeling time to a minute or less before school starts again."_**

Harry's smile was positively radiant at that.

He continued to practice the four steps until his protectors told him that he had done enough for the day. What followed was yet another training session inside his mindscape before he finally went to sleep with a content smile on his lips.

* * *

The next morning, after having spent a good half an hour doing push ups, sit ups and other excercices in his room, Harry gave Amelia his answer.

"You want to go to Gringotts?" She repeated in disbelief as she settled the Daily Prophet on the table. "Why is that?"

Harry scratched the back on his head. "Well, I figured that my parents must've had a vault at their name." he replied. "And I was wondering if they might have left anything for me inside it."

Amelia nodded, she couldn't fault the logic behind that. "Then I suppose a trip to Diagon Alley is in order. Also..." she trailed as she looked him up and down. "I believe you could benefit from some new clothes."

Harry's cheeks reddened in embarrassment. It was true that he still only had Dudley's hands-me-down aside from his Hogwarts Robes.

"Yay! We're going shopping!" Susan shouted in glee before she looked at Harry with a gleam in her eyes. "Don't worry, Harry. Auntie and I will choose the best there is for you."

Harry gulped nervously. Why did he have a feeling of impending doom?

A few minutes later, they were all standing in front of the chimney and Amelia took a pot filled with powder. Harry was wearing his robes and Amelia had charmed his face with a glamour to hide his features ("Think of it like a kind of makeup" she had told him). She understood that he didn't want to get mobbed by people and going incognito was the best option.

"This" she started to explain, "is floo powder. It can be used either to make a floo call to someone or to travel somewhere else instantly." She took a handful of powder in her hand. "First you take some powder and threw it in the chimney." which she did, making emerald green flames roar to life. "Finally, you call the name of your destination clearly and step inside the flames. Understood?"

Harry nodded.

"See you on the other side." She said before taking a breath. "Diagon Alley." and with that, she walked into the flames, who enveloped her and she disappeared.

" _ **That's quite impressive."**_ Sylph whistled.

" _Yeah, quite."_ Harry replied, looking apprehensively at the chimney.

"It can be quite scary and uncomfortable the first time, but there's nothing to fear." Susan said beside him as she presented the powder filled pot to him. "You just have to make sure you say your destination clearly. Who knows where you'll end up otherwise. Oh and don't resist or panic."

Harry took a deep breath before he nodded and took a handful of powder before throwing it in the chimney.

"Diagon Alley!" he said loudly as he stepped forward and disappeared in a sea of green flames.

While it felt a bit similar to the portkey travel he had experienced yesterday, Harry had to say it wasn't as much uncomfortable. Still, that didn't mean he enjoyed it, far from it. It was as if he was moving at extreme speeds while not moving at all.

He wasn't much surprised when he came flying out of the floo point in Diagon Alley.

" **Arresto Momentum**!"

Only to stop a few inches from hitting a wall before falling to the ground with a 'oomph'.

"My, I can't say I've ever seen such an exit from floo travel. I dare say it doesn't quite agree with you, Harry." Amelia said with an amused smile as she helped him stand up.

"Give me a broom any day." he grumbled under his breath, making her chuckle.

"You'll get used to it, I'm sure." she said as she dusted his robes. "And perhaps you will manage to make your future floo travels not as spectacular as this one.

He rolled his eyes. "No promises."

The next moment, there was a flash of green flames as Susan came stumbling out of the floo point. She looked between her aunt, who was hiding a small smile, and Harry, who was staring intensely at her. "What?" she asked. "Do I have something on my face?"

Harry just shook his head with a sigh as Amelia directed them into the Leaky Cauldron.

"Ah, good day Madam Bones." Tom greeted her from behind the bar. "Is there anything I can serve you and your companions?"

Amelia shook her head. "Not today, Tom. We have quite the busy schedule. Maybe later."

The barman dipped his head in acknowledgment before he returned to clean his glasses as the trio exited the inn. Just like the last time Harry had been there, Diagon Alley was bubbling with activity, although there were less people, but he spent no time admiring everything around him as they quickly made their way to Gringotts.

The Goblins looked still as nasty and ferocious as he remembered, he thought as a pair bowed them through the huge silver doors into the vast marble hall.

" _ **Peculiar creatures."**_ Undine commented. **_"They are warmongers and yet they are highly intelligent and as greedy as they are bloodthirsty."_**

" _ **They are an ancient race, I can feel it."**_ Gnome said. **_"Who knows how they developed and what kind of knowledge they accumulated over the millenias."_**

" _ **The fact that they have managed to place themselves in a position of power among the Wizarding World speaks for itself."**_ Efreet added. **_"Better not make an enemy of them, Harry. The consequences wouldn't be good for anyone."_**

Harry nodded as they approached a free goblin at one of the counters and Amelia quickly removed his glamour.

"Good day, master goblin." she greeted. "Mr Harry Potter would like to visit his family vault."

The goblin's eyes rose from his book of numbers to scan the three individuals before him before they settled on Harry. "And does Mr Potter have his key?" he asked.

Harry shook his head. "I only have the key to my Trust Vault, sir." he responded.

The goblin nodded. "In this case, you will need to see the Potter's account manager. If you will be so kind as to wait a moment." he said before he got out of his seat and disappeared behind one of the numerous doors to come back a few minutes later with another goblin in tow.

"I am account manager Sharpclaw." he introduced himself. "If you will please follow me to my office, we can get this business underway shortly."

Thus they followed the goblin through a couple of corridors before he led them into a little office and sat behind a desk as Harry, Amelia and Susan sat in chairs.

"Now, I was informed that Mr Potter here," he looked at Harry. "wishes to visit his family vault but does not have his key. Is that correct?"

Harry nodded.

"Under normal circumstances, we would require either your parents or your magical guardian's authorization in order to allow you to get the key to your family vault, as you are underage." Sharpclaw continued. "However, seeing as you are the last living heir of your bloodline, those conditions do not apply to you. While your magical guardian will be informed of your doings with the contents of the vault, you are only required to prove your lineage in order to request a new key to access it."

"And how do I prove that I'm who I say I am?" Harry asked.

"It's simple." the goblin said as he withdrew a blank page of parchment and a wicked looking knife from the desk' drawers. "To perform the inheritance test, you are required to shed blood onto this parchment."

Harry looked at the knife apprehensively. "Why?"

It was Amelia that answered. "A wizard's blood contains your magical signature, Harry. It is very potent substance in the magical sense and can be used for various means, rituals in particular, or to agree to an oath." she explained to him. "The parchment is charmed to analyze your blood and show its, shall we say, properties."

"A word of advice, Mr Potter." Sharpclaw said. "Never let anyone draw blood from you. As Madam Bones here told you, there are a lot of uses for a wizard's blood and a good majority of those would be considered Dark Magic. If someone ask you to sign a document with your blood, make sure to check _everything_ the document entails before you do."

Harry weakly nodded. "Thank you for the warning."

Sharpclaw grunted in acknowledgment before he once more presented the knife to him. Harry gingerly took the thing before he quickly made a cut on his left hand to let a few drops of his blood fall onto the parchment. Immediately, the red dots were absorbed by the paper and lines of the same color started to appear on it. All four people leaned forward to see what they said.

Name: Harry James Potter

Heir to the: Ancient and Noble House of Potter

Most Ancient and Noble House of Peverell

Most Ancient and Noble House of Slytherin (by Right of Conquest)

Silence followed as the three humans and one goblin registered what exactly the two lines bellow the one concerning the House of Potter meant.

Sharpclaw hummed, frowning at the parchment. "Most intriguing. And quite unexpected." he glanced at Harry. "I'm sorry Mr Potter, but I must inform Director Ragnok of this. The fact that you are Heir to two Most Noble and Ancient Houses isn't something that can simply be ignored." and with that, the goblin jumped from his seat and made his way out of his office at a fast pace.

Again there was silence.

Ultimately, it was Amelia that broke it.

"Well, this is quite surprising indeed." she commented as she leaned back into her chair with a sigh and turned to Harry. "To think you would be Heir to one of the Hogwarts' Founders, even by Right of Conquest..." she shook her head. "This is a bit problematic."

Harry tilted his head at her. "Why? And what does the Right of Conquest means?"

"It means that you have defeated the once rightful Heir of Slytherin and that the Magics tied to the Slytherin line have acknowledged you as being the Heir." Susan answered. "There were rumors during the war that You-Know-Who was the Heir of Slytherin, but this confirms it."

Harry gaped at the Bones Heiress, who smiled at him. "Auntie taught me well."

"As for why it is problematic," Amelia continued, "it's because aside from You-Know-Who, there hasn't been a Heir to any of the Founders in several centuries. If it were to become public knowledge that you became one, the Heir of Slytherin at that, you would immediately be thrust into the political side of the magical world, even though you are not emancipated, and it would paint a huge target on your back. I doubt even Dumbledore would be able to help you if that happened."

Harry felt like his head was spinning. Sure, he had expected that being the Heir of Slytherin would be quite important but to this extend?

"Then, what should I do?" he asked her.

Amelia massaged her temples. "The best option would be to keep this information a secret until you are at least more knowledgeable about the customs of the Wizarding World. You have, after all, only been reintroduced to your heritage since less than a year." she gazed at him with a determined look in her eyes. "I will teach you what I can during the time you are staying with us. I'll also contact the people whom you'll be staying with after so that they can continue what I've began."

"A most excellent initiative, Madam Bones." a new voice said and they turned to see Sharpclaw closing the office's door behind another goblin. "May I suggest that someone also teach Mr Potter how to defend himself? The boy has many enemies, after all." he added before turning to Sharpclaw. "Seal the room."

Sharpclaw bowed. "Yes, Director Ragnok." and swept his hand toward the door, which glowed blue for a moment and there was light hum before it stopped and the goblin turned to his superior. "The room is secure, sir."

Ragnok nodded and turned back to the three humans, who rose from their chairs. "Well met, Mr Potter. Before we proceed to business, however, I must ask you something: have you ever received either your bank statements or the various letters Gringotts has sent you over the years?"

Harry blinked. That was new. "Hum, no, I can't say I did." he replied.

Amelia sighed in exasperation as she palmed her face. "I can only suppose Dumbledore put a mail ward to intercept all mail you would have received. While I can understand why he would have done so, that's not an excuse not to inform either you or the DMLE of that little fact."

Ragnok frowned. "It is troubling indeed that Mr Potter's magical guardian did not inform Gringotts of such a thing either." he mused as he waved his hand and the desk was replaced by a short table while the chairs were replaced by couches. He invited them to sit down once more before he took place in the couch facing them, Ripclaw standing slightly behind him. "As understandable as it is that he would do such a thing for fear of Mr Potter being harmed by trapped letters, he could have simply asked Gringotts to put a scanning and a filtering ward to make sure such letters wouldn't come near Mr Potter." he added before looking at Amelia. "I trust that you will handle the matter accordingly."

The head of the DMLE nodded. "Certainly."

Ragnok nodded back before turning to Harry. "Now, Mr Potter, would you be so kind as to show me the results of your inheritance test that you are holding?" he said as he presented his open hand toward Harry, who looked down to find the piece of parchment clutched tightly in his hand.

He quickly gave it to the goblin while muttering an embarrassed apology under his breath.

Ragnok examined the parchment for a moment before he made a sound between a sigh and grunt. "This is an... unexpected event." he said before his gaze settled on Harry. "Understand, Mr Potter, that I would like nothing else than give you ownership of the Slytherin and Peverell vaults. However, in order to claim those vaults you would be required to take your lordship, thus making you an emancipated minor. As pointed by Madam Bones earlier, that is not something that would help you right now."

Harry crossed his arms as he frowned in concentration. "That's all well and good, but what does it have to do with me wanting to visit my family vault?"

The silence that followed that question was overwhelming.

Then Ragnok threw his head back and roared in laughter as everyone save for Gringotts' Director and Harry facepalmed. Harry simply looked between Ragnok and the other people who held their heads in their hand, confused.

The goblin's laughter slowly receded until it became a loud chuckle. "I like you, Mr Potter. I haven't laughed like this in ages. You are a most interesting person, even for a wizard, that is for sure. I cannot think of anyone who would not express at least a veiled interest in becoming the owner of two of the richest vaults in Britain." he shook his head, still chuckling.

"Of course it interests me. I mean, who wouldn't be interested in knowing what they have." Harry shrugged. "But that's not why I'm here right now so why would I bother with this?"

That sent Ragnok into another fit of chuckles, his form shaking with mirth. "Why bother, indeed." he managed to choke out between chuckles.

"B-but, Harry!" Susan spluttered. "Don't you realize how important this is?!"

Harry blinked at her. "I do. But Amelia said that me being the Heir of those Houses would only paint a bigger target on me and Ragnok just told us I needed to take my lordship in order to access the vaults, something we don't want to happen. So why should I waste my time with this when I came here to visit my family vault?"

The only sound that could be heard in the room was that of Ragnok's renewed laughter.

* * *

 **So I chose to end this one on a touch of humor. I could have continued further into Harry's visit of his vault, but I will save that for the next chapter.**

 **This one took me longer than I expected due to and English exam and a few more things that I had to take care of, but I hope to be able to give the next chapter in a week (more or less).**

 **Don't hesitate to review and give me your impressions. I accept anything beside baseless flaming.**

 **This is MidnightFenrir, author of "Harry Potter and the Four Elemental Spirits", signing out.**


	5. Living with the Bones Part 2

**So I've bought Star Wars Battlefront. The game is great, there is no doubt about that, but I'm a bit disappointed at the lack of variety in terms of weapons and the fact that there isn't any sign of clones vs droids coming up. But I suppose that's wait and see for now.**

 **Anyway, my thanks to everyone who reviewed and decided to favorite and/or follow this story. Now let's get on with the chapter.**

 **Enjoy while I nurse a cold in my bed.**

"Talking"

 _Thinking/reading/inscriptions_

 **Spells**

" _Telepathy"_

" _ **Spirit Talking"**_

* * *

After the fuss about him shrugging off the fact that he was the Heir to two Most Ancient and Noble Houses, whatever that meant, had died down, Harry was finally given the key to his family vault. That, and an invitation from Ragnok asking him to come directly to him for any matter regarding his money (something which had baffled Amelia and Susan to no end).

A wild cart ride later (much to his and Slylph's enjoyment), Harry and his two companions plus Sharpclaw were standing in front of a huge set of doors with a crest emblazoned on it. The Potter crest, Harry realized as his eyes studied it intensely. Two roaring lions at each side of a black and white shield with intricate designs inside it and a helmet on top. And above, written in bolt elegant letter, _Virtutis Fortuna Comes_.

"Fortune favors the brave..." Harry translated softly as he laid a hand on the doors. He turned to Amelia with a smile. "Gryffindor all the way, huh?"

She chuckled. "I would say the brashness runs in the family." she replied as she gazed at the crest. "Even though your grandfather married a Slytherin, your father was a Gryffindor through and through."

Harry's eyes widened slightly. "Really?" she nodded. "Well, and here I thought Gryffindor and Slytherin weren't supposed to mix." he mused.

Amelia shook her head fondly. "That never stopped your father from going after some of the Slyhterin girls while at Hogwarts."

"While I don't want to be impolite, Mr Potter, would you please open your vault so that you can conclude your business? Time is money, after all." Sharpclaw interjected.

Harry blinked at the goblin before he presented his key to him. "Well, I was kind of waiting for you to request the key to open it." he said.

Sharpclaw shook his head. "No one beside you can open the vault. There are wards tied to your bloodline," he explained. "so that only a true Potter can open the vault. If I, or anyone else tried, we would be dead before you could say 'Gringotts'."

Harry glanced warily at the doors. "That's promising." he mumbled dryly before thrusting the key inside the keyhole and turned it.

The doors glowed red for a moment and Harry felt something prick at his hand. Then, the glow became a soft blue before it faded to leave an inscription above the Potter crest.

 _Recognized as Hadrian James Potter, Heir to the Potter family._

And the doors opened.

" _ **Now that's a lot of gold."**_ Gnome murmured, impressed.

If Harry was rich based on his trust vault, then he was filthy rich, and more, based on what his family vault contained. He didn't have to assume how much galleons was stored to know that he probably could live a life of luxury without having to work at all. Hell, he could probably live several lives without needing anything with that amount!

"Well," Susan said after a moment. "at least you won't have to worry about the price of your clothes when we go shopping." she half-joked.

Harry only nodded as he stepped inside the vault. Although he was pretty surprised by the amount of money he owned, it wasn't what he had came here for. The room (more a hall, really) was filled with other things such as books, jewelry, even weapons and armors. However, what caught his attention was the desk that was positioned at the very end of the room, with stacks of parchment piled upon and beside it.

Harry swiftly made his way to it. Perhaps...

Then, he froze, his breath caught in his throat as he gazed upon a single envelop that was laying at the center of the desk, surrounded by parchment. On it was written in elegant script _To Harry, from James and Lily_.

Hands trembling, Harry gently took the envelop as if it was the most precious and fragile thing he had ever touched. Slowly, he turned it in his hands, and opened it. Once he did, the letter that was folded inside floated out to hover in front of him as it took a, somewhat, mouth like appearance, except you could only see the lips.

Then, it started to talk.

"Harry," a feminine voice said, making him jump slightly, "if you hear this, sweetheart, then I'm sad to say that we weren't there to raise you as we should have. Although we took every precaution and safety measure to ensure that this wouldn't happen, Voldemort must have found us. It is my -our- hope that you grew up with your either of your godparents or, if for some reason they couldn't take you in, in a place where you are just as loved as we love you. I..." Harry heard a choked sob, though he partially wondered if that wasn't him. "I'm so sorry, Harry. I'm sorry that we left you alone, even if it wasn't our choice. I love you, my baby. I just love you so so much!"

His mom was truly sobbing right now. Harry felt his own tears rolling down his cheeks before the sound grew more distant and another voice spoke.

"Hey, champ, Dad here. Your mom's gone to calm down a bit, so I'll do my part until she returns." Jame Potter's voice paused for a moment. "I'll start by seconding with what Lily said so far. We love you very much, Harry, never doubt that. I regret that we won't see you grow up, making friends, doing pranks, playing Quidditch, getting a girlfriend..." another pause. "I'm sure we fought the dark tosser to the very end, maybe even took him with us, but this war has cost us too much as it is." there, he sighed. "So much death because of a half-blood madman preaching pureblood dogma... I hope that the war's over by the time you hear this, Harry, and that either Padfoot or Alice have been taking care of you. If not, then I urge you to leave England at the first opportunity. But enough about this. Son, if there is one thing your mother and I want for you more than anything, it's to be happy. To enjoy your life without dwelling on what-ifs."

"That's perhaps the most sensitive thing you've ever said." Lily's voice pipped back.

"H-hey! How many times must I admit that I was a bit of a prat until our fifth year before you stop saying things like that?"

"Do you really want me to answer that question?"

"Uh... no, thank you very much my darling wife."

Harry chuckled sadly at the banter between his parents. He could just picture the scene in his mind.

"Harry," his mother called softly, "do not let our deaths burden you. Living in the past is not living at all. Live your life in the way you want to and enjoy it to the fullest. There will be moments where you won't know what to do, but that's part of living. Besides, your friends and important people will be there for you."

"Listen to your mother, son, she's the smartest witch I've ever met." James' voice added. "You will do us proud, I know it."

"We love you, Harry. Goodbye."

And with that last line, the letter refolded itself and slipped back into the envelop.

* * *

"How about this one, then? It goes really great with your eyes!"

"Susan... that's at least the twentieth time you said that."

" _ **Twenty-sixth, to be exact."**_

" _Not the point, Sylph!"_

"What can I say? Your eyes are just that mesmerizing now that you aren't wearing those big glasses."

Harry sighed. They had been at this for what seemed like an eternity. Susan would randomly (to him, at least) pick clothes and ask him to try them on. It wouldn't have bothered him... much... if Susan hadn't wanted to buy an entire wardrobe and then some. The Four were very content in simply watching the young witch 'torment' their summoner.

Amelia had said she had a couple of things to buy herself and had left them in Madam Malkin's a while ago.

Harry already had half a dozen new sets of everyday clothes, two sets of formal and traditional wear, along with three Lord robes (he was an Heir, after all, and there were times it would be necessary to dress like one). Truth be told, he kind of felt that it was too much already, and that wasn't counting all the underwear and other articles of clothing.

As Susan went to grab yet ANOTHER vest, Harry raised a hand to stop her. "Look, Susan. I appreciate your dedication, I really do. But I think that's enough for today. I remind you that I must fit it all in my trunk."

She gave him a deadpan look. "Harry, do you really think space is going to be a problem? There are expansion charms for that, you know. And I think you can easily afford a multi-compartmental trunk if you need it."

Harry didn't react for a few seconds, then proceeded to hit his head on the nearest wall muttering what sounded like 'magic, you idiot" repeatedly, making Susan giggle and the Four laugh.

"Sorry, I guess I'm still not completely used to magic defying logic like that." he sheepishly said.

She shook her head. "It's not your fault, I forget you were muggle-raised, sometimes." then she clapped her hands with a huge smile. "Now, let's continue, shall we?"

Harry barely refrained to groan as she went back to rummage in another pile of clothes.

Thankfully, Amelia came back at some point to take them for lunch at the Leaky Cauldron and Harry was freed of having to try every single article of clothing in the shop... at least for an hour.

It was during that time that he asked the question that had been gnawing at him for a few hours.

"Amelia, in the letter my parents left me, they talked about my godparents. Who are they? Why did I never saw them?"

Amelia sighed. "This is not an easy subject to talk about, Harry." she replied before taking her wand and muttering a few incantations under her breath. Moments later, they were inside a privacy bubble that would ensure no one would hear them. "First, do you know their names?"

"Dad talked about someone called Padfoot and another person, Alice." he replied.

Amelia nodded before she turned to her niece. "Susan, you are to tell no one about this, understood?" seeing her nodding, she continued. "To answer your question, I must go back to your parents' years at Hogwarts. Each of them made friends here, though while James' were composed solely of Gryffindors, your mother had friends in each House, even Slytherin. Among those were two people that stood by them all the way through school: Alice Crossdale, later Alice Longbottom, for your mother, and... Sirius Black for your father."

There, Harry heard Susan gasp and he frowned. There was something he was missing.

"Your father and Sirius were part of a group that called themselves 'The Marauders'. They had made it their goal to become the most famous pranksters at Hogwarts. Of course, each of them had a codename so to remain anonymous. Your father's was Prongs, and Sirus' was Padfoot." Amelia went on. "Sirius was your father's brother in all but blood. They did everything together and you could never see one without the other. Even after Sirius was cast out of his family, your father's welcomed him with open arms. You have to understand," she added after seeing both Harry and Susan's surprised looks. "that as far as we know, the Blacks have always been Slytherins. For Sirius to be a Gryffindor, it caused waves in his family. Ultimately, it ended in his mother blasting his from the Family Tree and banishing him from his home.

As for Alice, she was your mother's dorm mate and though I don't know exactly what made them become best friends, you could always see them together. My guess is that Alice took Lily under her wing to protect her from being harassed by other purebloods like most muggleborns are. From there, their relationship became that of sisters rather than friends. I did not interact much with Alice until she joined the Auror Corps with her husband but if there's one thing that I can tell you about her, it's that she was very protective of those around her, especially your mother. Just like Lily showed a lot of Ravenclaw traits, Alice showed just as much Hufflepuff qualities.

Both Sirius and Alice were present at your parents' wedding as the best man and maid of honor, and at your birth, where they were named your godfather and godmother." then, her face took a grim look. "However, things took a turn for the worse during the war. Your parents were hiding under a powerful spell called the Fidelius Charm. It is used to keep a secret inside a wizard or witch's soul, making them what is called a Secret Keeper. Only him or her can tell someone who is not privy to the secret its contents. However, You-Know-Who still found out your parents' location."

"So they were betrayed..." Harry quietly said, anger coursing through him.

Amelia sadly nodded. "They had chosen Sirius to be the Secret Keeper. The fact that he betrayed your parents to You-Know-Who shocked everyone. Later, he was found by Aurors and arrested after having killed another of your father's friends alongside twelve muggles. Now, he's in Azkaban, where he will stay until he dies."

Harry took a deep breath. He felt angry that his father's best friend, his brother in all but blood as Amelia had said, had ended up being their death. But he knew that it was no use to get angry, as the man had already been punished for his crimes.

"What about Alice?"

Amelia closed her eyes in sorrow. "A few days after you vanquished You-Know-Who, the Longbottoms were attacked by Death Eaters inside their home. Frank and Alice were tortured into insanity before the Aurors managed to take down their aggressors. They are currently in St Mungo's Permanent Spell Damage Ward and have shown no signs of ever recovering."

For a moment, Harry said nothing as he simply looked down at his hands. "Did my parents leave a will? Or anything that said I wasn't to go to the Dursleys?"

The head of the DMLE grimaced at that. "There WAS a will. However, the Wizengamot, the High Court of Law, sealed it."

Harry's face was livid. "What?" he blurted.

Amelia sighed. "Even though Dumbledore was Chief Warlock, everyone wanted to gain custody of you and would have overruled him should he have made any suggestion. He tried to have the will read in order to see if your parents had said anything about you being placed anywhere but certain people objected, saying that if the Potter's closest friend couldn't be trusted with their safety, then who could be trusted about yours? Thus, the will was sealed and Dumbledore, using his authority and, in accordance with the law, placed you with your next of kin." she looked at him with sorrow. "A lot of people, me included, tried to object at the will being sealed but the majority was against us. After that, Dumbledore wouldn't reveal your location to anyone and any owl that was sent with a letter to you was either redirected or came back with the letter unopened."

Harry deflated. It sounded like some sort of huge conspiracy. He didn't know what to think and, truth be told, he preferred not to think about it at all. On one hand, he could have had a normal childhood in the wizarding world being raised by someone like Amelia, and on the other he could have been delivered to one of Voldemort's followers on a silver platter.

Choosing to let the matter drop, he went to ask another question. "You said the will was sealed. Is there any way I can undo that?"

Again, Amelia grimaced. "Not until you are either emancipated or seventeen and take the mantle of Lord Potter, I'm afraid. Unless the Minister of Magic demands it to be unsealed, there is very little we can do about it."

Harry sighed as he leaned back into his chair. "I'm never going to have a normal life, will I? Haven't had one since I was born, at least."

Susan chuckled a bit. "Normal by whose standards, Harry? Lots of people expect unusual things to happen to you just because you are Harry Potter."

The young wizard laid his head on the table. "Right... like in those books written about me? It's not as if I'm Merlin's descendant or reincarnation." then, he blinked. "How did they get written anyway? Don't they have to ask me before doing something like that?"

Amelia frowned slightly. "Ah, yes. About those, it would only be logical that a percentage of the sales is given to you. Your magical guardian, that is to say Dumbledore, must have drawn up the conditions in regards to the usage of your name."

Harry's eyebrow twitched. "I wouldn't mind much if people didn't take those fictional stories as real things that I did. Really, fighting a dragon at eight? How does that even make sense?"

The two witches chuckled. "It does sound extravagant." Amelia agreed.

It didn't take long after that for them to finish their meal and get back to shopping, much to Susan's joy and Harry's annoyance.

He resolved to never go shopping with a girl again after that. It was just too exhausting. Why they found it funny, he had no idea.

Then again, he was a boy. What did he know about girls?

* * *

" _ **That is all for today, Harry."**_ Undine told the young wizard. ** _"I must say you have progressed admirably."_** she praised as he let his arms fall to his side.

Harry smiled at her. "Thanks to you and the others' guidance. I still have a long way to go, but Efreet said I might be able to start learning some combat Artes soon." he replied.

A week had passed since Harry's arrival at Bones Manor. It had been busy, to say the least. Between the studying, learning about wizarding etiquette and customs, and finally his training, both physically and magically, he had his days quite full. Of course, he hadn't done just this all day long. As Amelia was at work for the better part of the day, he and Susan would have fun together playing games outside or inside the manor when they were bored. Harry also took the time to write to Hermione and Ron, though neither had wrote back to him, for some reason.

Susan had even invited a couple of her friends, Hannah Habbot and Megan Jones, both Hufflepuffs, during one afternoon and Harry had graciously (read: under duress and after a fifteen minutes chase through the manor until they managed to back him into a corner) agreed to let the three girls dress him up with various outfit and make up to their hearts' content.

Needless to say that it was agreed by everyone present that nothing happened that day.

Undine smiled back at her summoner. _**"Indeed."**_ she said as she looked around the basement. **_"It was quite fortunate that Amelia took you here after she saw you training inside your room. It allowed us to move onward with your training faster than we had planned."_** she turned back to him. _**"And now you can see us when we take Astral form. Yes, I do believe it will soon be time for you to learn a few combat oriented Artes."**_

Harry beamed at her. Of the Four, Undine was probably the one he was the closest to. In the short time he had got to know her, he had come to view her as a mother figure. She was kind, caring, and yet could be stern and even intimidating when needed. She had always fond the words to soothe him when he was feeling down and had often offered him advice when he struggled with something.

Efreet was kind of like the ever-serious uncle that was tough outside but very soft inside. Though his attitude was more often than not one of a mentor and/or a protector to Harry, there were moments where he would show a more gentle side that told Harry that he cared about him.

Sylph was the exuberant older sister, always with a grin on her face and addicted to adrenaline. He always had fun whenever he did something with her, even though it was at his own expanse sometimes. The fact that he loved flying only made things better.

As for Gnome, he was the intelligent little brother. He could be playful and childish at times, and yet displayed a vast amount of knowledge when necessary. At the same time, he would often become quiet and simply let things happen without interfering unless he felt necessary to. Harry supposed it made sense that he was pretty down to earth (and he wanted to facepalm so hard for such a stupid pun).

All in all, the Four had become the family he never had.

"Harry!" Susan's voice called from upstairs. "Auntie's back! So you'd better finish whatever you're doing quickly!"

Harry cast a quick Tempus. "That late already?!" he exclaimed, seeing that he had spent close to three hours in the basement. "Time sure flies when you're having fun." he mused.

A quick shower later, Harry joined the head of the DMLE in her study, where he found her slowly going to a stack of paperwork with one hand as she massaged her forehead with the other. Beside her was a single cup of tea.

"Busy day?" he asked as he sat down in front of her.

"You don't know half of it, Harry." she sighed tiredly. "I hope for you to never have to deal with politicians on a daily basis, it is simply nerve-wracking." she said before rubbing her eyes. "The more time passes, the less do people change. This," she gestured to the parchment in her hand "is yet _another_ bill Malfoy Senior tried to pass to reduce Auror budget under the same refrain that we're not at war anymore and there's no need to maintain a hit wizard force on standby. I've managed to stall it by using ant law that was written by the Wizengamot, but it's only a matter of time before Lucius managed to circumvent it, or worse, revoke it." she looked at him. "Do you think he knows about You-Know-Who's wraith?"

Amelia had given him a crash-course about the war and its aftermath, including the trials of convicted Death Eaters and the fact that a good number of others had escaped a life sentence at Azkaban by claiming the Imperius Curse. One of those included Lucius Malfoy, who was, by 'coincidence', the one that had started to say he and others Death Eaters were subjected under the Imperius. The man had, in the ten years since the end of the war, consolidates his position as one of the pureblood elite and now had a hand in more or less everything that happened at the Ministry. Somehow, he had even managed to become a member of Hogwarts' Board of Governors.

Through bribery and blackmail, most likely.

Harry shrugged. "Dumbledore told me he had only heard rumors, and that was by keeping his hear to the ground for any sign. So it's possible, I suppose, that Malfoy did the same hoping Voldemort would return someday." then, he tilted his head. "But wouldn't he have done something about the stone if he had known?"

Amelia smiled at him. "You are right. Though it's just as possible that he prefers to further his own agenda instead of helping You-Know-Who rise again." she said before leaning back into her chair. "The fact that the Minister is basically in his pocket just makes things worse. I don't know how many years it will take Lucius, but I'm pretty sure he aims to make the Auror Corps disappear. Why exactly? Who knows." she shook her head. "But enough about this. Today we're going to brush another part of your wizarding education."

Harry gave an eager smile. "What is it?"

The smile she gave him made he quickly loose his eagerness. "Dancing. Parties and social gathering often include dances and it would poorly reflect upon your family were you to step on your partner's toes."

Harry repressed a groan. This was NOT going to be fun.

Thankfully, Sylph helped. She guided the flow of his movement ever so subtly, just to make sure he wasn't making a total fool of himself. Susan had joined in at some point and Harry had to admit, much to his shame, that he preferred dancing with her than with her Aunt. She was still a very intimidating woman, after all.

Dinner followed the dancing session, and Harry voiced his concerns at the fact that none of his friends had replied to his letters.

"Could the mail ward be still active?" he asked Amelia.

She shook her head. "No. The goblins certified me that they had disabled and replaced it by filtrating wards." she said before frowning slightly. "And as far as I know, Dumbledore hasn't put another one."

Harry returned the frown. "Do you think they may have been sent to my relatives? I DID live here for the past ten years, after all."

Amelia nodded slowly. "It's possible. I'll check as soon as I can."

"Harry," Susan interjected. "I know I always saw you hanging with Ron and Hermione, but do you have any other friends?"

He shrugged. "Well, aside from you (which made her smile), I guess there would be Neville and Seamus. Oh, and probably the Gryffindor Quidditch team." he answered. "Why do you ask?"

Susan smiled sheepishly at him. "Well, like I said, you've never been seen with anyone but Hermione and Ron, but they are plenty of people who said they were your friends. Of course, I suppose a lot of them just want to be associated with the Boy-Who-Lived."

Harry let out an exasperated sigh. "You'd think I'd have to give a speech in the great all to make them realize that I'm not the savior they portray me to be. And even then, I'm pretty sure they'd be able to twist my worst to make me appear more heroic."

Susan blinked. "That's... quite mature of you, Harry."

He smirked at her. "Those lessons you and your Aunt gave me paid of, I'd say."

"About that, Harry." Amelia cut in. "I think it's time we started it."

Harry raised an eyebrow at her. "Start what?"

"Why, your magical training, of course. Ragnok did suggest that you should be trained to defend yourself." she replied.

He grinned. "When do we start?"

"Right now."

* * *

 **Yeah, it's a bit shorter than the other chapters I've posted so far, but I figured I made plenty of progress in relation to what Harry knows.**

 **Next chapter will see Harry leave Bones Manor to join Ron at the Burrow. What kind of strange things will happen there, I wonder.**

 **This is MidnightFenrir, author of "Harry Potter and the Four Elemental Spirits", signing out.**


	6. Arrival at the chaotic Burrow

"Talking"

 _Thinking_

 _'Letters/Reading'_

" _Telepathy"_

 **Spells**

" _ **Spirit Talking**_ "

* * *

" **Rennervate**."

Harry groggily opened his eyes with a groan as he slowly sat up and shook his head to clear the dizziness.

"Damn. And here I had thought for a moment that I had managed to land a shot on you THIS time." he grumbled at Amelia, who looming above him with a slight smirk on her face.

"I will admit that you surprised me." she replied, still smirking. "Using my own conjured mirror to blind me with a focused Lumos was not something I expected from someone your age. The fact that you're able to think on your feet and improvise with the elements on the field is just as impressive as I found it when we first dueled." she complimented him as she helped him stand up. "I pity your poor classmate who will ever face you in a mock duel."

Harry pouted. "It still wasn't good enough. I couldn't hit you." he complained.

Amelia chuckled. "Harry, I was the best Auror in the field behind Mad-Eye Moody, I have two decades of experience on you in dueling and fighting. Even if my skills have dulled since the end of the war, the fact that you managed to surprise me at all, even -no- ONLY after a week of training, is nothing to be ashamed of. Not even your father managed to do that, and he was one of the most ingenious people on the battlefield that I knew."

He raised an eyebrow at her as he dusted his clothes. "What do you mean?"

"Just like your mother's strong point was Charms, your father's was Transfiguration. And on a battlefield, being able to transfigure rocks and debris into animals or other things to defend yourself makes you pretty much unpredictable." she explained. "A wave of your wand, and your enemy is suddenly surrounded by a pack of wolves, a conjured bird becomes a flying knife or the ground can suddenly turn into a swamp. The possibilities are endless." she continued as he listened with rapt attention. "Your father's aptitude for battle transfiguration was what made him feared by the Death Eaters during the war. It's also why you father was able to fight You-Know-Who and live to tell the tale. It wasn't by luck that your parents survived several encounters with him. Your father's combat prowess and your mother's brains along with their magical strength were more than a match for You-Know-Who's power." she concluded. "But enough talking. Let us clean ourselves up and join Susan upstairs. After all, you're leaving this afternoon."

Harry nodded with a sad frown. While he was looking forward to seeing Ron again soon, the thought of having to leave the Bones so soon darkened his mood much more.

In the short time he had lived with them, Harry had found both a mentor and another parent-like figure in Amelia. The head of the DMLE treated him just like she treated her niece (and MERLIN if it wasn't a breath of fresh air from the constant hero worship he was receiving from most of the wizarding population) and while she was strict as her job demanded it, she had a kind side that he felt privileged in seeing.

In Susan, he had found a new friend. Even though the first steps of their friendship had been kind of awkward, it hadn't been long until they overcame that obstacle. While Harry knew that Susan wasn't likely to become a part of the group that was constituted of Hermione, Ron and himself, it still felt nice to have a friend outside of Gryffindor that wasn't Hagrid.

Harry banished the somber thoughts of his mind, taking comfort in the fact that he would write to them and see Susan in one and a half month for the start of their second year, and followed Amelia upstairs. The last week had gone pretty fast, between the training sessions, the customs and manners lessons, studying and the various games Susan roped him into, but it had been the most enjoyable day of his life outside of Hogwarts.

Time flies as you're having fun, as they say.

Speaking of letters, they had found why his friends hadn't replied to him: they had never received them in the first place. Apparently, it was a work of a house elf. Though it was still unknown who it belonged to and why it was doing this. It also explained why Hedwig had seemed to get angrier and angrier every time she returned to him. The fact that it had forced Harry to give his letters to Amelia so that she could use a Ministry owl to send them only made it worse.

Harry pitied the poor creature if Hedwig was to get her talons on it.

A quick shower later, he joined Susan and her aunt in the living room.

"Still aren't managing to land a hit, are we?" Susan teased him.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Laugh it up, Susan." he replied before smirking. "At least your aunt is giving me a challenge. That's more than I can say about you."

She pouted cutely. "Just because you won all our duels so far doesn't mean you'll win every time."

"Perhaps if you had not neglected your training, Susan, you wouldn't be loosing to Harry." Amelia interjected. "I told you times and times again that you should learn how to defend yourself properly, but you've never been interested." She glanced at him. "Perhaps having a dueling partner closer to your age at Hogwarts will make you more motivated."

Susan grumbled at her aunt and Harry chuckled.

The first time Susan had dueled him, she had underestimated him. The second time, he had outsmarted her. The following duels after that had always ended up in him winning and if there was one thing Harry had learned about Susan, it was that she was a big sore looser. She won't give up until she manage to win at least one round against him.

"Don't worry, Amelia. I think she's plenty motivated right now." Harry said before sending a grin at Susan. "And if she isn't... well, I can always rub it in her face that even though her aunt is the head of the DMLE, she can't hold a candle to me. That should rekindle her fighting spirit."

"That's it! You're going down!" Susan shrieked before she pounced on him from the couch and the two starting rolling on the ground, trying to pin each other down.

Of course, it wasn't even five seconds later that they were stopped by a thoroughly amused Amelia who was had, somehow, managed to tie them both back to back with a simple Incarcerous.

"Are you done?"

""Yes Auntie/Amelia.""

She nodded. "Good." with a wave of her hand, the ropes disappeared. "Now, I believe it is time for supper. All that morning practice made me quite hungry." she said as she turned and made her way to the dining room.

They ate quickly, both because they were quite hungry, but also because Harry wanted to make the best out of the few hours he had left with the Bones. With Susan, he played a few games, whereas with Amelia, he went over what what he had learned so far and what she was expecting him to have learn during the rest of summer.

And, suddenly, it was time to leave.

"Thank you, Typsi." Harry said as he took his shrunken and weightless trunk from the house elf. He had sent Hedwig out earlier, as he knew she preferred to fly all the way rather than travel through magical means.

The little creature shook her head. "It is nothing, Mr Harry Sir." she responded before fixing him with big, sad puppy eyes. "I is just sad Mr Harry is leaving so soon. There is lot much work to do with you here."

Harry blinked, then shook his head. He had yet to get used to the fact that for house elves, the more work and chores there was, the better. "I'm sure Susan will make up for my share of your work." he said with a grin.

"Prat." Susan huffed playfully as she slugged him in the shoulder and then embraced him. "I'll miss you, even if it's only until the start of our second year."

He hugged her back, though he was still a bit uncomfortable at the physical contact before drawing back with a slight frown marring his face. "Are you sure you can't come and visit sometime? You know where I'll be, after all."

She shook her head sadly. "Sorry, but between homework, personal studies and what Auntie will teach me, I'll won't have much time for myself." She had gotten her two weeks of fun with Harry and her friends and now there were more serious matter to attend to. "But, hey, we can still write to each other. You just have to ask Ron's father to give your letter to Auntie."

Harry nodded. That was the system they had come up with after discovering that a house elf was stealing his letters to his friends. He would give them to Amelia, who would then give Ron's to his father, who also worked at the ministry, while a ministry owl would deliver Hermione's. So far, it had worked.

Finally, Harry turned to Amelia, who was watching them with a small smile on her face. "Thank you for everything, Amelia. Without you, I'd probably still be a lost boy knowing next to nothing about the world I'm living in. I don't think I can ever repay you for what you've done."

The head of the DMLE gave him a warm smile. "You owe me nothing, Harry. It was the least I could do and something that should have been done the moment you were informed you were a wizard. Why Dumbledore gave that task to Hagrid, of all people, I'll never know. Minerva would- SHOULD have been the one to explain it all to you." she shook her head. "But enough about the past. I expect you to pick where we left in regards to your training and education on your own. You have the necessary material, now it's up to you."

Harry smile back at her. "I'll keep you updated, then. You won't disappointed, you'll see."

"Of that, I have no doubt." she replied as she moved to hug him and he returned her embrace.

At that moment, the fireplace flared green and a man with short red hair and freckles who looked quite similar to Ron stepped through.

"Good afternoon, Arthur." Amelia greeted the newcomer.

The man smiled. "And a good afternoon to you too, Amelia." he greeted back with a bow of his head to her before turning his gaze to the two children beside her. "Susan" he dipped his head again at the Bones Heiress and his eyes landed on Harry. "And you must be Harry." he said before extending a hand toward him. "Arthur Weasley."

Harry was a bit surprised by the man's laid back attitude and the fact that he didn't even glance at his forehead, but didn't show it and shook his head. "Good to meet you, Mr Weasley."

"Ron told us much about you." Arthur said as he retracted his hand. "I trust you are all set?" at Harry's nod, he smiled. "Wonderful. We'll leave immediately then, if that is alright with you. They are waiting for you to start the game of Quidditch, after all." he said with a wink.

Harry chuckled. "Then let's not keep them waiting." he replied as he moved to stand beside Arthur before turning to Amelia and Susan. "See you at King's Cross."

"See you, Harry. Take care." Susan responded and Amelia simply nodded.

"Until next time, Amelia, Susan." Arthur said before he threw a handful of Floo powder in the fireplace. "The Burrow!"

Moments later, both males had disappeared in two flashes of emerald flames.

* * *

" _ **Now that was the most impressive exit yet.**_ " Sylph giggled.

" _Laugh it up, Sylph. Laugh it up._ " Harry replied dryly from his position, which was sprawled on the floor of what he assumed to be the Weasleys' living room. " _It just seem like Floo travel and I just don't get along._ "

" _ **That's putting it lightly.**_ " Gnome chuckled. " _ **At least this time you didn't land on someone."**_

" _Ugh, don't remind me._ " Harry groaned mentally as he remembered that incident.

How he had managed to fly from the Floo straight into a woman, leading to the both them fall in quite a compromising position, he'd never know. _That, and how she'd pack such a punch._ He thought, remembering his sore jaw.

This time, he had exited from the fireplace rolling like a soccer ball that had been kicked by a professional player. He felt like one too.

"Blimey, Harry. You alright? 'Never saw anyone come in like that before." A familiar voice said from somewhere above him.

Harry blinked. "Ron? Is that you?" he asked "Sorry, but my head's still spinning." he added as he tried to stand up.

"I got you, mate." Ron said as he helped him stand up. Then looked him up and down. "Wow, Harry. You've gotten taller! How'd that happen?"

"Did I?" Harry replied before shrugging at his friend. "I hadn't noticed."

It wasn't exactly a lie. While he knew his potion regiment had done wonders on his stunted and malnourished body in only two weeks, he hadn't really paid attention to the changes, busy as he had been. But he also didn't want to explain to Ron why he had to take potions. That topic was still a bit too sore for Harry.

"Is Hedwig here yet?" he tried to change the subject. "I sent her out a couple of hours ago."

Thankfully, his friend didn't seem to notice. "Yeah, she arrived a while ago. Bloody brilliant owl you've got there Harry, that's for sure."

"That she is." Harry agreed with a smile as the fireplace roared behind him and he turned to see Arthur dusting himself before the man blinked at Harry's state.

"Amelia was right, I see. Floo travel really DOES disagree with you." he commented as he took his wand and a quick cleaning charm cleared all the soot Harry's entrance had spread. "There, all gone." he said with a satisfied smile.

"What is all that noise?" a feminine voice called from upstairs. Harry recognized it as Mrs Weasley's.

"Nothing, Molly, dear. Just our guest who seems to have some... difficulties with Floo travel." Arthur replied loudly.

"In my defense, none of the tricks Amelia told me to ease the journey worked." Harry muttered as Molly came down the stairs.

"Harry dear, welcome." The Weasley matron greeted him with a warm smile before engulfing him in a bear hug. "I'm so happy to see you. How are you feeling? Did you eat already?"

"I'm alright, Mrs Weasley." Harry replied as he extricated himself from the woman's strong embrace. "And I'm not hungry at the moment, thank you."

It was then that he took a moment to examine his surroundings. The room was small and rather cramped. There was a scrubbed wooden table and chairs in the middle, a clock on the wall which had only one hand and no numbers at all, with things like 'Time to make tea', 'Time to feed the chickens' or 'You're late' written around the edges. Books were stacked three deep on the mantlepiece, with tittles such as 'Charm Your Own Cheese' (what purpose could charming your cheese serve, he wondered), 'Enchantment in Baking' or 'One Minute Feats- It's Magic!'. And, unless Harry's ears were deceiving him, the old radio next to the sink had just announced that coming up was 'Witching Hour, with the popular singing witches band, The Weird Sisters'.

Compared to the order and neatness Harry was accustomed to from living with the Dursleys and the Bones (although the formers were much more obsessed on that front), the chaos that seemed to surround the Weasleys' house was quite a refreshing change.

"It's not much," Ron said, having noticed his friend's wandering gaze. "but it's home."

"It's brilliant." Harry replied with a smile. "And fitting, I think. It feels like a magical home."

Ron's ears went pink, much to the raven haired boy's amusement, and he decided to spare his friend further embarrassment.

"I think your dad said something about a game of Quidditch?"

Five minutes later, he, Ron, Fred and George found themselves in a two-on-two match featuring Harry and Ron against the Twins, which quickly descended into a free-for-all flying tag. The only bad side was that Harry had to tone down the speed of his flying, much to his and Sylph's disappointment, since his Nimbus Two Thousand was leagues above the Weasleys' best broom.

Though that didn't keep him from taking a few minutes to himself to fly without any restriction around the Burrow. From the outside, the house seemed even more chaotic: it looked like a large stone pigsty at first, but with extra rooms added here and there, making it several stories high and so crooked the only thing holding it had to be magic. The five chimneys perched on top of the red roof only added to the feeling of disorder.

 _Again,_ Harry thought, _oddly fitting._

" _ **I don't know who designed that house, but they have a... unique, shall we say, sense of architecture.**_ " Undine mused.

" _ **You can say that again.**_ " Gnome agreed. " _ **It looks as if the tiniest change in the equilibrium will make the whole thing topple come down all at once.**_ "

" _ **It hasn't so far.**_ " Efreet chimed in. " _ **Let us assume it will not now.**_ "

"HARRY!" came a shout from the ground and the raven haired boy looked down to find Ron with his hands cupped around his mouth. "COME DOWN HERE! MUM MADE SCONES!" the red head shouted again.

"COMING!" Harry yelled back as he decided to have one last of moment of flying in diving straight down at top speed, ignoring Ron's alarmed shouts, before pulling up at the last second and stopping a foot from the ground. Then, he flipped up and landed on his feet, his broom secured in his hand.

"A Wronski Feint..." the youngest Weasley male muttered in shocked awe as he stared wide eyes at his friend. "A bloody Wronski Feint." he repeated as the youngest seeker in the last century of Hogwarts walked up to him.

"What was that, Ron?" said seeker tilted his head in confusion.

Ron slowly shook his head at him. "Mate, you have no idea what you just did, do you?" seeing Harry's confused look, he elaborated. "That's, like, one of the hardest Quiddictch move invented. Ever. And you just did one! Even though you didn't even know how to fly a broom nine months ago! That's brilliant!"

Harry blinked. _Was that really so difficult to do?_ Had had just done that for fun, so it couldn't be that hard, right? _Then, again, Sylph did improve my flying abilities._

"If you say so, mate." he shrugged, ignoring his friend's gobsmacked look at him dismissing what he had done like it was nothing. "Now, about those scones..."

As if a switch had been flipped, Ron's features did a one-eighty from awe and disbelief to hunger and eagerness before he quickly led Harry inside.

It was then that Harry laid eyes upon the female Weasley whom he knew to be Ginny, his friend's younger sister. Her hair was shoulder blade length and a shade of red a bit deeper than the rest of her family. That was pretty much all he had the time to note about her however, as for when she saw him, she bolted out of the kitchen with a small squeal, her face the same color as her hair, faster than he could say 'hello'.

"She's been talking about you all day long since we came back from Hogwarts." Ron said in an undertone to him. "You wouldn't believe how much questions she asked about you."

"Yeah, it was always 'Harry this', 'Harry that'." Fred (or was it George?) commented from his seat.

"She'll be wanting your autograph, Harrikins." George (or was it Fred?) added.

Both twins were sporting teasing grins that were directed at him. To which Harry responded by rolling0 his eyes at them as he sat down.

He just hoped that Ginny's attitude wouldn't last for the whole two weeks he was here.

* * *

 **This chapter was shorter than the previous ones, unfortunately. But I guess that's to be expected of a transition chapter such as this one. Those after this should be longer (or at least around 5k words.)**

 **Review and give me your opinion. I accept everything beside baseless flaming.**

 **This is MidnightFenrir, author of "Harry Potter and the Four Elemental Spirits", signing out.**


	7. A Grim Warning

**I've been pushing this back for a while now, but here it is!**

 **Sorry I don't have much to say, but I'm too busy thinking of how to continue my stories.**

"Talking"

 _Thinking_

 _"Telepathy"_

" **Spells** "

 _ **"Spirit talking"**_

* * *

Life at the Burrow was, in a word, chaotic. Or wild. Whichever you wanted but Harry had a preference for chaotic. It seemed to be a recurrent theme with the Weasleys. The house was always bursting with strange and unexpected things, like the ghoul in the attic that dropped pipes whenever it suited it or the dishes that, Harry would swear, were dancing every time no one was watching. Because if there was one thing the Burrow wasn't, it was quiet. There was always noise. And everybody seemed to be in constant activity. Which was a bit surprising for Harry, being quite used to Ron's laziness at school.

More surprising, though, was the fact that everyone there (yes, even Percy during the few moments he came out of his room) seemed to like him. Mrs Weasley always tried to have him eat one more serving at every meal ("You're too thin, dear. You need some meat on this bones. How else are you to play Quidditch otherwise?"). And Mr Weasley would sit near him and they would have long conversations about non magicals and their way of life ("Tell me, Harry, what is the use of a rubber duck?" "Umm... well, it's a... err... bath accessory?" "Fascinating. Does it have any particular purpose in the bath?" "Not really... it's just something to play with.")

Arthur found it impressive how Muggles managed to get by without magic. To which Harry had replied that science and technology was, you could say, their own brand of magic. Electronics and electricity in general was a big topic that they came back to several to several times. When Harry questioned if magic and technology could mix, Mr Weasley had shown him the enchanted car he was keeping in the shed ("So... what does it do?" "Oh, nothing really. Just, fly and turn invisible." "Oh. Is that a- wait, WHAT?!")

Fred and George spent much of their free time in their room, no doubt coming up with new prank items and testing them, judging by the muffled explosions Harry could hear. He still couldn't tell Fred from George but he wanted to do so himself, despite the fact that the Four could. Something to do with how their auras felt to the spirits.

But the most recluse of the family was, to his surprise, Percy. Harry rarely saw the sixth year Weasley outside of meal times but he could often see an owl coming in and out of his room. Who was he writing to, however, remained a mystery.

Ron, after witnessing his Wronski Feint, had taken out every single book he had on Quidditch strategies and maneuvers before proceeding to make Harry perform and give his opinion on them. Other than that, they had played a few games of chess and Harry was proud to say that he had finally managed to force the red head to a stand still one time. True, it had been with the help of thz Four, but it still satisfied him very much. Also, Harry wondered when his friend would start on his homework. He only hoped that, for Ron's sake, he'd do it before they would see Hermione.

As for Ginny... Harry's hopes of her behavior around him not lasting long had quickly disappeared. Every time they ended up in the same place, which usually was the living room, something happened. A bowl of porridge was knocked over, a fork or a knife was sent flying across the room, books would fall in heaps... anything, really. And each time without fault, her face would glow like the setting sun and you would believe she had suddenly become mute. Harry tried to ignore it, he really did, but he knew that if nobody did something about it, he would have to confront her at some point. And he REALLY hoped it wouldn't come to that.

As for his own free time, Harry spent it improving his wizarding education and training. While he could use the Quidditch pitch that was the paddock as a training field for dueling, finding a spot where he could practice Spirit Artes had been a challenge. In the end, he had settled for a clearing inside the forest not far from the Burrow. It wasn't the best, but it was enough for his purpose.

Sometimes, Mrs Weasley would task him and the other boys with some rather... interesting chores. Like degnoming the garden or getting rid of the magically mutated plants that threatened to cover or invade the house. That kind of things. With all this activity, finding a few moments of peace and quiet during the day would have been like trying to find the Holy Grail: impossible.

Thank Merlin for privacy charms. The fact that it muted Ron's snores at night was just the icing on the cake. Harry had a feeling it would be very useful to him in the coming years.

A sudden hoot startled him out of his thoughts and he turned to his left to find Hedwing giving him a bored look, as if to say "Give me something to do!".

"Sorry, girl." he chuckled. "I wish there was something I could do to get rid of your boredom beside flying or hunting." he said as he stroke her head and she rubbed it against his hand. Then, a thought occurred to him. One that he berated himself for not coming up with it sooner? "What do you say we try to fool that little thief? I'm sure Fred and George can help us with that."

A gleam seemed to enter his owl's eyes and she gave an eager bark before jumping and perching herself on his shoulder. Once stabilized, she puffed herself and pointed a wing at the door, making Harry laugh. "Onward then, my dear Hedwig." he said dramatically as he rose from his bed and headed for Fred and George's room. Just as he knocked on the door, an explosion from the room rocked the floor and he was greeted by one of the twins with his hair messed up and his face blackened.

"Err... perhaps I should come back another time?" Harry asked, a little unsure.

"Nonsense, Harrikins!" the red head grinned widely at him. "Come in, come in! Oh, and mind your step. There are a few prototypes around Wouldn't want anything to happen to you now, would we?" and with that, the twin went back into the room.

Harry exchanged a look with Hedwig before the owl did the equivalent of a shrug and he sighed. "I'm already starting to regret this..." he muttered as he went inside.

The room was obscured by smoke, but Harry noticed that it was clearing quickly. On the floor laid several things ranging from potion ingredients to what seemed like finished prank products, with what he assumed by their appearance to be failed prototypes in between.

"Sorry, Harry. But-" "As you can see, you-" "Caught us in the middle of-" "A rather delicate experience. Anyway-"

""What can we do for you?"" they chorused.

Harry blinked, looking between the two identical Weasleys, before shaking his head. He suddenly had a newfound respect for Mr and Mrs Weasley for dealing with those two thorough the years. "Right. Long story short, I need your help with something that involves pranking."

Fred and Georges' eyebrows rose and they looked at each other for a split second before focusing on Harry.

"We're listening. So-" "Do tell us more."

* * *

"...and that's the gist of it." Harry finished his tale.

The twins gazed at Hedwig with thoughtful looks.

"So you want us to come up-" "With something that could-" "Repel, trap or fool-" "A house elf."

Harry nodded. "Yes. Even though Madame Bones managed to find a way around the problem, it doesn't really solve it. Everything else that we've tried so far ended up in failure. And we still don't even know why this elf is stealing my mail. So I need something that would, basically, make Hedwig untouchable to it."

An interested gleam appeared in Fred and George's eyes as their lips turned upward in a challenging grin and they turned to each other.

"Sounds like a challenge, my dear twin."

"Indeed, my handsome brother. House elves are tricky, but-" "Then again, so are we." the two then turned back to Harry, whose gaze was going back and forth from one to the other.

"We'll start working on it, Harrikins. But-" "You're going to have to answer a few questions for us first."

""Alright?"" they chorused once more.

Harry nodded. "Shoot."

In an instant, the two red heads had donned fake glasses and mustaches as they took up a quill and a sheet of parchment each.

"So, Mr Potter, tell us."

"What have you tried so far-"

""To get rid of this problem?""

Harry crossed his arms and hummed in thought. "Well, we tried to simply switch owls at first. Then we tried to have someone else write the letter. Next, we went for notice-me-not charms. After that..."

It took a good ten minutes for Harry to remember and tell the two all the things he, Amelia and Susan had tried to prevent his mail from being stolen. By the end, the two were giving him impressed looks.

"Well, one thing's for sure here."

"The little bugger in nothing if not resourceful and dedicated." They said, frowning at their notes.

"Still, there are a few key points that we've deduced from this."

"First, it seems to know how to tell ministry owls from regular ones, which means it must be around those much."

"Next is the fact that it can know if the letter is for or from you, no matter how you try to disguise it."

"And finally, its ability to bypass or ignore most charms and wards."

"All in all, quite a tough challenge." They looked up from their notes before they put their hands on Harry's shoulders (minding Hedwig, of course) and stood up, taking him with them.

"Anyway, you've given us quite a lot to work with, Harrikins. So-" "Give us a few days and we'll get back to you."

""Alright?"" They chorused and with that Harry and Hedwig found themselves outside the room as the door closed behind them.

Harry blinked. "Well, at least they aren't asking to experiment on you." he told his owl, who gave a hoot of agreement.

"OÏ, HARRY!" Ron bellowed from downstairs. "GET DOWN HERE! WE HAVE TO SETTLE THOSE TWO DRAWS!"

"Coming, Ron!" Harry replied with an eyeroll. Since he had started to get a few draws here and there, Ron had been almost constantly hounding him for more games every hour of the day he didn't spend on eating or Quidditch. Still, he supposed that his friend was just very happy to have someone who could finally keep up with him at chess (more or less).

 _Let's see if we can beat him this time._

 _"Better not get our hopes up..."_ Sylph mumbled unhappily.

 _"I refuse to give up until we can secure at least one victory!"_ Ifrit exclaimed.

What did you know? Even spirits have their own pride.

* * *

It was two days later that the twins gave Harry their answer. Without warning, they grabbed him and Hedwig before marching outside the house to talk business.

"So, Harrikins."

"We've been thinking long and hard-" "About that problem of yours. And-" "We might have a solution for you."

Harry nodded eagerly. "Go on."

"The first thing we must tell you," "No matter how much it shames us to admit it," "Is that this is out of reach at the moment."

"What do you mean?" he asked them with a frown.

"Fact is, we're only third years, Harrikins."

"And, for all our genius at pranking," "A house elf is simply too much for us."

"At least for now."

"However, we DO know someone" "Who could succeed where we failed."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "And who would that be?"

""Our older brother Bill."" they chorused. "He's one of the top curse-breaker of Gringotts. So-" "We're pretty sure he'll be able to help."

That, Harry felt, was a pleasant surprise. He had heard about curse-breakers from Amelia and if Bill was even half as good as Fred and Georgre were making him to be, it was very possible that he could solve their problem. "That sounds like a great idea." he told the twins with a smile. "Could you contact him for me?"

They grinned at him. "Already did, Harrikins."

"Bill should come over by the end of the week."

Well, that was even better. "Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it and I'm sure Hedwig does too." he said and Hedwig gave a pleased hoot.

"No problem, Harry."

"But remember:"

""You owe us now.""

Harry chuckled at that. "I'll be sure to remember it."

The days until Bill's arrival were (relatively) quiet. Mrs Weasley seemed to have ran out of tasks for them to do, so most of Harry's time became divided between his personal reading and training, Quidditch, chess games and helping Ron with his homework. Because without Hermione breathing on his neck to make him do it, it was quite obvious Ron would only start working at the last minute. Sure, it took a bit persuasion, but the threat both his mother AND Hermione's wrath managed to get him to work. Well, that and a "no homework, no dessert" policy.

With his newfound insight, Harry had to admit that he found Ron's attitude to be very strange. His friend had a quite clear inferiority complex, what with him being the youngest of six brothers who all seemed to have found their calling in life and excelling at in it beside himself. But what truly puzzled Harry was that, despite this, Ron made no effort whatsoever to succeed in anything. His only interests lied with Quidditch, chess, eating and sleeping. And it wasn't as if he wasn't smart, his skill at chess and strategy games in general said otherwise. Rather, it seemed like his inferiority complex was pushing him to laze around in order to not be compared to his brothers. It was something that Harry intended to change, step by step. His friend had a lot of potential, all he needed was a push in the right direction.

On another topic, Harry was quite surprised to find, in his book on wizarding customs and history, that old things such as marriage contracts were still in use nowadays. While it wasn't a regular thing, it didn't seem that uncommon either, which was honestly a bit troubling. Of course, it revolved around the pureblood elitists but that still represented a good chunk of today's society, along with nearly all its leaders. And while Harry could guess that some contracts were only drafted to make things official or after the two concerned persons had agreed to it, it still made him sick in his stomach to think your parents could steal your right to love whomever you wanted from you. The fact that those contracts had probably played a huge part in the inbreeding that the purebloods were suffering of nowadays didn't help in appealing to him.

Then again, it seemed to be the norm for the Wizarding World, or at least Magical Britain, to be distasteful in a number of ways. Between blood supremacy, magical species racism, magic restrictions and now marriage contracts... Harry could only shake his head in dismay. No wonder most Muggleborns wanted out once they finished Hogwarts. It also made him question if every other magical society was also stuck in the past as Britain's was.

Still, to think all of this has been in place for centuries... Harry wondered what Merlin and the Founders would have to say about today's Magical Britain. How they'd react to seeing what has become of their legacy.

Perhaps, in time, he could change it.

 _"Do no think things too far ahead, Harry."_ Undine interjected in his mind. _"It's alright to plan for the future, but it will be years, maybe even a couple of decades before you can do anything. Focus on the present, at least for now."_

 _You're right, as always, Undine._ He replied to her. _But it's food for thoughts. Just thinking of what we could change, how to make things better for everyone... Do you think I could do it?_

 _"I don't doubt it, Harry. If you put your mind to it, I am certain that you will succeed in any endeavor."_ she said to him. _"And you will not be alone in this task, that much is sure."_

Nevertheless, Harry resolved to make a to-do list of the changes to implement in the Wizarding World. Keeping track of the problems was the first step, after all.

* * *

William Weasley, or Bill, as he preferred to be called, was probably one of the most interesting people Harry had met so far. If it hadn't been for the flaming red hair that he shared with the rest of his family, he wouldn't have been able to tell that Bill was, indeed, a Weasley at first glance. The man carried himself in a way that just screamed calm power, like a tranquil sea. This, combined with his curse-breaker attire, dragon fang hearing and, dare Harry say it, cool hairstyle painted quite the picture. To top it all, he was just as friendly as the rest of his family! Pretty hard to even dislike him, with such a case.

"So you're Harry, huh?" Bill had said upon laying eyes on him before approaching the soon to be second year. "It's nice to finally meet you. I heard a lot about your from Fred, George and Ron."

"It's nice to meet you too, Bill." Harry had responded before shaking hands with the older wizard. "I'm pretty sure your brothers must have exaggerated things, though."

The oldest Weasley brother had raised an eyebrow at that. "Did they? So that story about you climbing up a troll was a joke, after all?"

"Erm... No, that one's true." Harry had corrected, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

Bill had blinked at him. "Merlin, kid. What possessed you to do that? That must be one of the most stupid and courageous things I've ever heard. And, let me tell you, I hear my share of these at work."

"Hey. Griffindor." Harry had shrugged with a sheepish smile.

That had got a laugh out of the curse-breaker. "Good point, Harry. Now, I believe there is a reason as to why my brothers contacted me?"

And so, for the next half an hour, Harry, Fred and George had explained to Bill what the almost twelve years old had have to deal with since the start of summer break.

"This is indeed a very strange case." Bill frowned pensively, his arms crossed on his chest as he laid back against the sofa. He, Harry and the twins had secluded themselves to the room beside the living room to discuss. "But it isn't unsolvable. Even if the goblins don't know everything there is about house elves, they know enough to keep them out of Gringotts and to prevent them from intercepting their own mail. Also, most, if not all, magical households have wards to deny them entry. From those facts and what you've told me, we can deduce that our culprit must have placed some sort of tracking charm on Harry that doesn't show on regular scans" he explained before drawing his wand. "First we must identify the spell. This might take a while, Harry, so please don't move too much."

Harry nodded and Bill started to weave his wand around him while muttering incantations under his breath. For several minutes, it went on. The curse-breaker sometimes frowning or arching an eyebrow at results only he could see. It came to an end when Harry glowed for an instant and Bill let out a loud 'Aha!'.

"I've found it. It seems our little thief was cleverer that we thought." he said, looking at Harry. "I don't know when, but it managed to tag you with a variant of a tracing charm coupled with a mail ward. More specifically, a trace on the part of your magical signature that owls use to find the recipient of the letter they carry. That's how it stole your mail."

Harry frowned at that. It certainly was strange that the house elf had managed something like that, moreover without the Four noticing it. "So you mean it gets notified whenever I send an owl or someone sends one to me?" At Bill's nod, he continued. "Then how come someone writing my letter and sending the owl didn't work?"

The oldest Weasley brother hummed pensively. "Perhaps it has also locked onto Ron and your friend's -Hermione, was it?- magical signature. Or maybe it's scanning every letter that comes from where you are. Either way," he said, standing up. "I'll get to the bottom of this, trust me. But first, let's get rid of those charms."

A quick wave of his wand followed by a spell in what Harry could only assume was Gobblyhook and it was done.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to-"

 ***POP***

"Harry Potter! Long had Dobby-"

" **Stupefy**!" " **Incarcerous**!" " **Flipendo**!" " **Experliarmus**!"

A split second later, the house elf that had literally appeared out of nowhere was stunned, bound and flipped on its head before being sent flying into the wall, courtesy of the four spells that were sent its way. There was a moment of shocked silence as the four wizards stared blankly at the neutralized creature.

"I... guess that takes care of the problem?" Harry hesitantly said.

"That's one way-" "To put it." the twins chimed in.

"How the- The wards should have kept it outside! How did it get in?" Bill asked, perplexed as they were.

"Maybe it sneaked in? Without using magic, I mean." Harry quickly added the second part when the older wizard looked at him as if he had just been insulted.

"That's-! ...certainly possible." the curse-breaker trailed off before palming his face. "Knowing dad and mom, it's probable that they messed up something within the wards, again, that allowed this little blighter to come in." he sighed. "Looks like I'm going to have to tweak the wards again." he muttered before looking back to the still bound and knocked out house elf and then to Harry. "By the way, that was a good Experliarmus, Harry. Nice reaction speed, too. They teach that to firsties nowadays?"

Harry couldn't help but blush at the praise. "Err... no. Madam Bones helped me with that."

Bill's eyebrows went up at that and he whistled. "Wow, private tutoring in Defense from the Head of the DMLE herself. Looks like you're already going places, aren't you?" he said with a teasing smile that only made Harry blush harder while trying to stammer a response. "Just kidding, kid. But seriously, that's impressive for a first year. Anyway, let's wake the little fella up and see what it has to say."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Harry asked with a frown, his blush still present. "From what I've seen, it could easily slip away the moment we aren't looking."

"Perhaps, but that's the only way we're getting some answers." Bill replied and Harry nodded somewhat reluctantly. " **Ennervate**."

The house elf blinked its large eyes before looking at the four wizards towering above it and fixing its gaze on Harry. "Harry Potter!" it said in a high pitched voice. "So long has Dobby wanted to meet you, sir... Such an honor it is..."

"Err... Thank you, I guess?" Harry said, as he exchanged looks with the Weasleys.

"Harry Potter is thanking Dobby?! Dobby is not worthy of Harry Potter's generosity!" the little creature exclaimed, only serving to make Harry feel uncomfortable.

"Right... So, you're the one who's been stealing my mail for the past month?"

The elf's eyes became so wide Harry became worried they might fall out of their sockets. "Harry Potter knows Dobby did it?! Truly, Harry Potter is just as great as the stories says!"

Harry was starting to feel very uncomfortable now. "I'm quite sure whatever you've heard about my... greatness, must have been greatly exaggerated." he replied. "I mean, I'm not even twelve, for Merlin's sake."

This time, the look he received was one of admiration, if not worship. "Harry Potter is humble and modest." Dobby said reverently, making Harry want to palm his face with a groan. "Harry Potter speaks not of his triumph over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

Harry raised an eyebrow at that. "Why would I speak of something that happened when I was but a toddler and that I do not remember? Moreover something that should be credited to my parents?" he said, trying to hide the bitterness he felt at the mention of what made him into the so called Boy-Who-Lived.

Dobby shook his head rapidly. "Dobby heard, sir! Dobby hear tell that Harry potter met the Dark Lord for a second time, just weeks ago! That Harry Potter escaped yet again!"

This time, it was Harry's eyes that threatened to bulge out of his head. Where and how had Dobby heard that?! Absently, he felt the shocked gazes of the three Weasleys on him as he wordlessly nodded to the house elf.

"Ah, sir..." Dobby gasped hoarsely. "Harry Potter is valiant and bold! He has braved so many dangers already!"

Harry cleared his throat awkwardly. "That's all well and good, Dobby, but you still haven't told us why you were stealing my mail. Did your master put you up to this?"

The elf shook his head frantically at that. "No! Never! Dobby did it all by himself, sir. Dobby did it to protect Harry Potter!"

This got raised eyebrows from everyone in the room. "Protect me?" Harry repeated, before frowning. "What are you talking about, Dobby? Explain yourself."

"Ah, sir..." Dobby fidgeted, as much as he could still bound as he was. "It is difficult... Dobby wonders where to begin..."

"Perhaps you can start by telling us how stealing my mail has anything to do with protecting me." Harry told him flattly.

Dobby shifted anxiously. "Dobby hoped... if Harry Potter thought his friends had forgotten him... Harry Potter might not want to go back to school, sir..."

Harry wanted to be angry. And he probably would be if Amelia hadn't figured out a way to still convey his letters. But one thing Dobby had said drew his attention. "Wha- not want to go back to Hogwarts? What does that have to do with this?" he asked, perplexed.

"Because, if Harry Potter goes back to Hogwarts, he will be in mortal danger."

Stunned silence greeted that declaration. Harry felt the Four, who had been absently listening, suddenly shift their focus entirely on the house elf. The twins exchanged quick looks before their gazes started going back and forth between Dobby and Harry. Bill frowned as he idly rolled his wand between his fingers.

"Why?" Harry breathed out, his body as tense as a coiled spring. He had only recently got out of a life and death situation relatively unharmed and now he was going from the fire into the frying pan? This was just absurd!

"There is a plot, Harry Potter. A plot to make most terrible things happen at Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, this year." whispered Dobby gravely, suddenly trembling all over. "Dobby had known for months, sir. Harry Potter must not put himself in peril! He is too important, sir!"

"What terrible things?" Harry asked at once. "Who is plotting them?"

With a choked gurgle, Dobby started banging his head against the wall behind him for a couple of seconds before Harry stopped him.

"Judging by his reaction, we can assume that his master or masters is linked to this." Bill said, causing the elf to stop struggling as his ears perked up and he nodded quickly at the eldest Weasley child. "But he can't tell us who it is, exactly." he added, making Dobby sagg.

"Alright, he can't say. That's understandable." Harry said as he took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "But why are you warning me? Why not someone like, say, Dumbledore?"

"Dobby cannot speak with Dumbledore, sir. Master forbids it." came the answer from the elf. "Dobby knows, sir. Dobby has heard that Dumbledore's powers rival those of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named at the height of his strength. But sir..." there, Dobby's voice dropped to an urgent whisper. "There are powers Dumbledore doesn't... powers no decent wizard..." he trailed off with another choked noise. This time, Harry was prepared and he quickly prevented the little guy from harming himself again.

"Stop it, Dobby! Don't say anything that will force you to hit yourself." Harry said firmly once Dobby stopped struggling. "Now, I have to ask. Does this have anything to do with Vol- I mean, You-Know-Who? Just shake or nod your head if you can't answer."

Dobby did some sort of grimace before shaking his head. "Not- not _him_ , sir." he said, his eyes wide as if trying to give them a hint, something neither Harry or the Weasleys missed.

"Someone related to him?" one of the twins asked, getting another shake.

"One of his followers?" asked the other one, only to get another shake.

Harry and Bill stayed silent, both trying to decipher the message the house elf was trying to convey.

After a moment, it slowly dawned on them what Dobby possibly implied.

"Something that belonged to him." "A cursed item." came both of their responses.

It was the only thing that made sense. No one could enact such a plot overtly, not with Dumbledore present. The only way was through a medium, something that wouldn't be traced back to the one responsible.

That asnwer got frantic nodding from Dobby.

Harry swallowed thickly before speaking again, slowly. "So... this plot at Hogwarts is being orchestrated by your master... using something that he received from You-Know-Who?"

If possible, the nodding became even more frantic.

Harry kept his gaze on Dobby for a moment before he stood up and made his way to the sofa and all but collapsed into it. Beside the elf, the twins had paled while Bill's grip on his wand had made his knuckle turn white as he visibly struggled to keep his composure.

Seconds later, the tense silence that had settled was disrupted by the arrival of Molly Weasley opening the door while holding a tray of what looked like freshly baked cookies.

"Boys, would you like some-"

 ***POP***

"-cookies?!" she startled, surprised by the sound. "Was that a house elf?" she asked before she took in their expressions. "Is there something wrong, boys? You look like someone just died."

All of them flinched, Dobby's warning still fresh in their minds.

"I'm going to floo professor Dumbledore." Bill said as he rose from his position. "He'll want to know about this." he added as he made his way for the fireplace in the living room.

Molly gave her eldest a curious and apprehensive look before she turned to Harry and the twins. "What is this all about?"

Harry turned his gaze outside, as if he could see dark clouds gathering on the horizon despite the blue sky.

"Trouble." he simply said, his tone grim.

* * *

 **And here we are, the end of the seventh chapter. Five thousand words just for you guys. I know it's basically just a filler, but I promise things will progress quicker once we hit the start of second year.**

 **Do leave a comment to tell me what you think. I accept everything beside baseless flaming.**

 **This is MidnightFenrir, author of "Harry Potter and the Four Elemental Spirits", signing out.**


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